The young brigade of Pakistan and New Zealand are locking horns in match 22 of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2024 at Buffalo Park, East London. Both teams are unbeaten in the competition so far and the winner of this game will top Group D, which will give them the bragging rights and the confidence ahead of the Super Six round. (More Cricket News)
New Zealand Under-19 captain Oscar Jackson won the toss and elected to bat first. They will be eager to post a solid total and put Pakistan under pressure in the chase - which is exactly how the Kiwi team won their campaign opener against Nepal. The BlackCaps put up a massive total of 302 runs on the board and restricted Nepal to 238, clinching the tie by 64 runs.
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They followed that up with a narrow one-wicket win against Afghanistan in a low-scoring match. New Zealand just about scraped through to achieve the target of 92, but have a healthy net run rate of 1.740 nevertheless and are assured a place in the next round.
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As for Pakistan, the going has been great so far. Saad Baig's side has brooked no challenge and emerged victor in both its games with ease. They first beat Afghanistan by a humongous 181 runs, then comprehensively won against Nepal by five wickets to seal their progress. Another win on Saturday will make it three in a row, though that is something the Kiwi team will be eyeing as well.
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Playing XIs
Pakistan Under-19: Shahzaib Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Azan Awais, Saad Baig (c/wk), Ahmed Hussain, Haroon Arshad, Arafat Minhas, Ubaid Shah, Mohammad Zeeshan, Naveed Ahmed Khan, Ali Asfand
New Zealand Under-19: Luke Watson, Tom Jones, Snehith Reddy, Ollie Tewatiya, Oscar Jackson (c), Lachlan Stackpole, Zac Cumming, Sam Clode (wk), Matt Rowe, Ryan Tsourgas, Mason Clarke.
