Pakistan Women vs New Zealand Women, Match 19 Match Summary

The land of Emirates has treated cricketing fans worldwide with top drawer entertainment so far. Now as the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, 2024 progresses ahead, Match 19 features another exciting and a crucial clash in Group A. Pakistan Women and New Zealand Women are all set to clash at the magnificent Dubai International Cricket Stadium. With teams down to their final games, the race for the top two spots in each group is heating up. New Zealand Women come into this match with momentum, having bounced back from a loss to Australia with a key win over Sri Lanka. They've notched two victories so far and boast a favorable net run rate, but currently find themselves in the third spot and need only a win to stay in contention of the top two in their group. Their batting success has largely hinged on the performances of Georgia Plimmer, Sophie Devine, and Melie Kerr, who have been the backbone of their innings. Melie Kerr in particular has stepped up as a sincere all-rounder as her contributions while bowling have proved to be pivotal for the team’s success. She stands join second in the leading wicket-taker’s charts and the team would expect its marquee player to keep up with these contributions. Young Rosemary Mair has impressed everyone with her bowling as well. Her 4-wicket haul against India paved their way to the win and the fact that she has been economical, makes her a an important bowler. Pakistan Women's campaign in this tournament has been plagued by underwhelming performances, with their sole victory coming against tournament debutants Scotland Women. Their path to qualification now seems as challenging as scaling a steep mountain. With only two points to their name, they find themselves in fourth place, facing potential elimination unless they can orchestrate a remarkable upset against the in-form White Ferns. Their record shows two losses while defending targets. However, the totals they set - 105 and 82 against India and Australia respectively - were far from competitive, offering little margin for their bowlers to work miracles. These statistics clearly indicate that Pakistan's batting has been their weakness, but since a long time now. Compounding their troubles is the absence of their full-time skipper, Fatima Sana Khan due to unavoidable circumstances at home. Her absence was a significant setback for the team, further depleting their reliable pace bowling options, especially considering Diana Baig's injury as well. But now, she is all set to return to the side for this do-or-die clash which will surely boost the side’s confidence. New Zealand Women will surely stride out as the favorites but their aim will be to defeat Pakistan Women by a huge margin to catapult their net run rate and zoom up to the top two. But, it will be this Pakistani side whose goal will be to bounce back strongly and salvage some pride. Although a lot of permutations and combinations will take place, irrespective, it is going to be an entertaining contest. Which side do you think will win this clash?