T20 World Cup semi-final: New Zealand chose to bat first against Pakistan

New Zealand chose to bat first after winning the toss against Pakistan in the first T20 World Cup semi-final being played in Sydney.

Both the teams have decided to stay with the playing XI they had in their last matches.

This is the fourth time that both the teams are seeing each other in a world cup semi-final.

Pakistan triumphed in four matches, while New Zealand so far has managed to win two.

The winner of today’s match will book a place in the final at MCG opposite the top dog of the semi-final between India and England. 

New Zealand has thrashed the hosts and won all but one of their matches in this tournament so far.

While the green team is set to pose challenges, but there’s no doubt that the Black Caps are equipped to handle them, which makes for a mouth-watering contest on paper.

Pakistan Playing XI:

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

New Zealand Playing XI:

Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway (wk), Finn Allen, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.