Now it’s a battle of the elites. The margin for error will be very thin as the Super 8 stage begins with Pakistan taking on an extremely competitive New Zealand at the Premadasa in Colombo. Both teams know that a loss in this game will make things significantly difficult for them going forward.As per the weather report, there is a bit of rain around, even though none of the games in Colombo have been affected yet.
While Pakistan have been here since the start of this edition, playing on the slower spin-friendly pitches, this will be their first outing in these conditions for the Black Caps.To start then, in this battle of equals, Pakistan are slightly ahead given the depth of the spin attack that they possess.Mystery spinner Usman Tariq has been excellent so far, with none of the teams able to have a go at him.For New Zealand, the onus will be on the likes of middle-order batters Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell to deal with the threat.Chapman revealed that they are taking the Tariq factor into consideration.“Tariq has a pretty unique action with the way he stops at the crease, so that’s something to factor in. But Pakistan have a number of really good spinners in their side. Each of them poses his own threat,” Chapman said.But the left-hander also mentioned a familiarity factor that New Zealand enjoy with Pakistan.The two teams have met each other quite often in T20Is — the last series being hosted by the Kiwis in 2024-25, which they won 4-1.“Pakistan is one of the teams that we’ve played probably the most frequently over the last few years. So, we’re well aware of what they’re going to bring,” Chapman said.Pakistan had a good outing in their last game against Namibia at the SSC and it’s unlikely they are going to make significant changes to the playing XI.Paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi and leggie Abrar Ahmed haven’t been in the best of form and they were left out of the game against Namibia.To play any of them, Pakistan will have to drop a batter, which they may well be reluctant to do.The spin duties will be shared by Tariq, Saim Ayub, Mohammed Nawaz and Shadab Khan while left-armer Salman Mirza is likely to be the lone pacer.For New Zealand, it’s pretty simple.They will look to have their captain Mitchell Santner back, who missed their last game against Canada due to an illness.His style of bowling is perfect for Sri Lanka conditions and he should be a handful for the Pakistan batters.“Santner looks pretty sprightly, he’s pretty excited to get back,” Chapman said, adding that paceman Lockie Ferguson, who had gone home following the birth of his first child, will be back late before the game.“Lockie is landing potentially tonight. So we’ll just see how he pulls up from the flight,” Chapman said.
