New Zealand vs Pakistan,
South Africa in 1999 is the only other side to feature unchanged XIs in six consecutive WC games.
Rahul Ramachandran says: Surprised to see an unchanged side from NZ. I was expecting Henry Nicholls and Southee back in the XI.
Stat: Six consecutive games with unchanged playing XIs for NZ. First time in six games that Pakistan are playing the same XI in two successive games.
Teams:
Pakistan (Playing XI): Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Sarfaraz Ahmed(w/c), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi
New Zealand (Playing XI): Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham(w), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Sarfaraz Ahmed: We wanted to bat first and we are not worried about the conditions as that is not in our hand. Good to see him (Amir) back in form and others also bowled really well especially in the last game. Catching is a concern and hopefully we will do well as a fielding unit today. Pakistan can do anything and we are taking it game by game, hopefully we will do well. No team changes.
Kane Williamson: We are going to have a bat. Very cold conditions and it's a used pitch. There might be a bit of swing early on and we are gonna try and negotiate that early. We are going with the same team. We are going with horses-for-courses type of mentality. There was some consideration (about team changes) with this being played on a used surface, but we have gone with the same team. Pakistan are a very strong side and for us its about building on the performances and keep winning. Keep trying to do your job and fulfil the role given today. A great atmosphere (with a lot of fans) and we are looking forward to it. Every game throughout the tournament has a similar feeling riding on it and hopefully have a good game.
New Zealand have won the toss and have opted to bat
Sarfaraz calls tails and heads it is. New Zealand are going to bat
"I can't see either team making a change, at least nothing from the practice seems to suggest it," observes Kaushik.
10:32 Local Time, 09:32 GMT, 15:02 IST: Umpires Paul Reiffel and Bruce Oxenford are out there to assess conditions. Marais Erasmus joins as well. He talks to the groundsmen. Looks like we will have the toss in a short while. Not overly concerned faces from the officials. So the news is, toss will happen at 11:00. Game to begin at 11:30, no overs lost.
There's a lot of happenings at the ground. Both captains are having a look at the pitch. Meanwhile, the Pakistan fans are making quite a noise already.
Kau seems to be having a lot of pre-game refreshments in the press box, and no prizes for guessing what he loves: Here's his latest update from the ground: 'The cover comes off to reveal a cream biscuit of a pitch that looks a lot like the one used for #NZvSA. The fielding cones are coming out.'
Trent Boult on the sidelines: Feels like a beautiful English summer morning. Hopefully there is not much of a delay. Heck of a game up in Manchester. Idolized him growing up... so I tried to pluck his brains (about his Chat with Wasim Akram). He said he enjoys seeing me pitch the ball up and try and get it to swing. Ohh I don't know... I didn't know that (surprised smile, when told NZ have the best economy rate at the death in this World Cup.) Set good fields and if you are in trouble get the batsman hitting over the fielders on the boundary. Yeah, I am pretty simple, that's what I try and do. It's been good to see the support. It's been exciting to see great crowds throughout the tournament. It's been amazing to see some Kiwi flags and Kiwi birds floating around in the stands. By birds I mean the supporters in general, not just the women (chuckles). But yeah, it's good to see the support.
09:50 Local Time, 08:50 GMT, 14:20 IST: Covers are slowly being taken off now.
Colin Munro and Babar Azam have a chat. Baz McCullum joins and takes of Azam's bat to feel it. "He still has a feel for the game," said Nas Hussain on air during that epic clash between New Zealand and West Indies. Baz had called for mid-on to be pushed back during the penultimate over. Moments later, Trent Boult took the catch at long-on to break Caribbean hearts. What a knock that was from Brathwaite. He almost had it in the back, until the Kiwis stole. Talking about Munro, New Zealand might as well get Nicholls back in the mix, because they have not been getting starts.
Aditya Sheoran says: "If today's match is washed out, can Pakistan still qualify?" ----- Yes, if they win their next two games, they'll get to 10 points which could be enough.
09:36 Local Time, 08:36 GMT, 14:06 IST: We will have a delayed start. The outfield is still wet and the umpires will have an inspection at 10:30. "It's gotten significant brighter already. Last time they started at 12 and we lost only 1 over - NZ v SA," pings Kau.
Live pictures show the groundsmen busy with the repair work. No rain at present but the outfield is quite damp with a lot of water still beneath the covers. Apparently all the rain yesterday has been the major antagonist coupled with the brief drizzle this morning. Good thing is that the weather is expected to be clear for the rest of the day. So, we shouldn't be that far off from starting.
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It's a tricky situation for Pakistan. If they happen to bat first, it's going to be really tough to negotiate Trent Boult and Matt Henry if they find swing. Sarfaraz would be hoping for the coin to fall his way. Mohammad Amir, who has been on fire, will be a handful alongside Afridi. Riaz isn't a swing bowler, so one would expect to be there always. Taking a close look, it's mainly been Williamson and Taylor with the bat for the Kiwis. So Pakistan would be looking to target them and put the rest under pressure. The Blackcaps themselves wouldn't mind being pushed to the limit before the knockouts. They would want more hands to show up before the semi-final.
"Yesterday morning was dreadful. It rained for hours together. But by the time we finished preview work, it had stopped and the groundsmen could work on the outfield. Today morning it was a very slight drizzle only," he adds. With no sun to dry the field, we could be in for a slightly delayed start, but the drainage at Edgbaston is pretty good. With the weather around, it's pretty evident that the captain winning the toss will want to bowl first.
Kaushik from ground zero: "There was a slight drizzle in the morning. But it has stopped now. Covers are still on and super soppers are on duty. It's gloomy right now but the forecast for the rest of the day doesn't look bad. Sarfaraz Ahmed is in a very animated discussion with Waz Akram while bowling coach Azhar Mahmood is conducting a little outfield inspection of his own."
09:05 Local Time, 08:05 GMT, 13:35 IST: Good morning peeps! It's a really crucial game for Pakistan. Looks like a team would need a minimum of 10 points to stand a chance to make it to the top four. Pakistan have five now. So everything from now is a must-win game. They recovered well from their heavy loss to India with a comprehensive win over South Africa. Today is their big game - against the toughest of opponents in line. Afghanistan and Bangladesh are to follow and one would be silly to take the Bangla tigers lightly. So if Sarfaraz and Co. can outclass New Zealand today, the road could be slightly smoother.
