A look at the first semifinal in Sydney on Wednesday...
Allen vs Pak bowlers
Finn Allen prefers to exploit the field restrictions in the powerplay. He has already gone big once at this venue in the group stage (Aus). If he can repeat those fireworks, the Kiwis will quietly believe. If the Pakistan bowlers remove him and get Kane Williamson into the match early, they can put the brakes on the scoring.
Blackcaps’ bowling
The reason behind the Kiwis’ success in this event is their simple approach, especially the bowlers. They share wickets, maintain tight lines, swing the ball early & use two spinners in the middle overs. They have only used 5 bowlers, nobody has gone above 8.13 RPO. With Pakistan batters likely to keep the powder dry for the latter stages, the Kiwi bowlers are ideally placed to strangulate them further.
Santner threat
The southpaw has Rashid Khan-like numbers, it speaks for how effective he has been. Sixteen overs, 43 dots & 8 wickets. That he has conceded only 3 sixes & 10 boundaries is a testament to his accuracy. Pakistan could target him but in a venue that has historically favoured spin, it’s fraught with danger. What the likes of Shadab Khan does against him could decide that phase of the contest.
Rauf vs Philips
One of the main reasons why NZ are here is due to the firefighting capacities of Glenn Phillips. The onus is on him to come in and up the runs/ over (RPO) in the backend and he does that. Average of 48.7 while striking at 164, those are Suryakumar Yadav’s like numbers. On Wednesday, he will be in the phase when Haris Rauf will operate. Order popcorn and tune in because it will be one to savour.
Live on star sports networks: 1.30 PM, Sydney