Pakistan vs NZ T20 World Cup betting tips & odds – 26/10/2021

New Zealand face a tough start to their ICC T20 World Cup campaign as they tackle an in-form Pakistan at Sharjah in the Super 12 stage this Tuesday.

The Pakistanis almost always come into major tournaments with some low-key buzz, but rarely do they deliver the goods in the way they did against India on Sunday.

Shaheen Shah Afridi stole the show, recording figures of 3/31 as the Pakistani bowlers held India to 7/151 on a Dubai pitch that seemed ripe for some heavy hitting.

Pakistan’s chase highlighted just how good that performance was from Afridi, as the unbeaten opening pair of Mohammad Rizwan (79*) and Babar Azam (68*) reeled in the target within 18 overs.

Now that we know their key players are in top touch, the big question is whether the rest of the Pakistan lineup can stand up when called upon.

New Zealand boast a solid, experienced lineup that is capable of beating any team in the competition, but they lack a bit of the X-factor that most other sides possess.

They say styles make fights, so it will be interesting to see how the well-rounded Black Caps fare against this mercurial Pakistan side.

Pakistan vs NZ T20 betting predictions

Pakistan top runscorer: Mohammad Rizwan

With the form this guy has shown in Twenty20 cricket this year, it is impossible to ignore the +250 about him to top the scoring charts for Pakistan on Tuesday. Since hitting 89 against NZ in Napier in December 2020, the keeper-batsman has struck nine 50+ scores – including an unbeaten 104 against South Africa – in 14 innings at T20I level. Get around him.

Match result: Pakistan

No, their depth wasn’t tested against India, but that’s half the point. If Pakistan’s key men do something similar on Tuesday, it is hard to see how they lose. The Kiwis are no mugs, and they often go deep at the major tournaments, but they might be meeting this Pakistani side at just the wrong time.