Pakistan vs New Zealand, Warm-up at Hyderabad, WC Warm-up, Sep 29 2023 - Match Result

Thanks for joining us, everyone. It's time for me, Rvel Zahid, to say goodbye and goodnight on behalf of Himanshu Agrawal and our scorer, Sudeep Poojar. We'll see you soon!

Specialist batter Williamson marks return from injury with half-century

New Zealand cruised to victory with 38 deliveries to spare. Ravindra, promoted up the order, was a delight to watch, unleashed numerous eye-catching strokes in his 97-run knock. Pakistan's bowling attack didn't pose enough challenges without the services of Shaheen Afridi, and Haris Rauf bowled only four overs. Shadab Khan didn't roll his arm in the first warm-up but was seen fielding throughout the second innings. Usama Mir chipped in with two wickets and managed to get a few to turn sharply in his second spell. However, New Zealand were clearly the superior side in batting, with the top and middle-order firing and getting valuable time to spend out there on a batting-friendly wicket.

We saw some elite thrashing from the likes of Ravindra, Mitchell and Chapman in particular. New Zealand must be mighty pleased to see their skipper getting some runs after recovering from a gruelling injury as Williamson navigated his knock brilliantly today. Pakistan just couldn't make enough inroads to stop the hemorrhaging of runs, and accuracy eluded them as the margin of error was minimal on this batting paradise.

Babar Azam and Co. might need to go back to the drawing board and devise some well chalked out plans to counter oppositions on these wickets without the services of their ace pacer Naseem Shah. Babar's best bet will be to expect his mainstays to quickly get accustomed to the conditions and get on top of their game so that they can find ways to take wickets at crucial junctures. On the other hand, New Zealand have got a well-oiled batting line-up that is bolstered by the return of Kane Williamson. They have a few gaps to plug in pace bowling department but with Trent Boult back in the mix, they have covered pretty much all the bases and are a team to watch out for!

Kane Williamson: It's great to get through with some batting in the middle which is really nice. (On injury) It has held up pretty well and some icing now is part of the process. It wasn't a reality five months ago, was fortunate with the recovery and nice to be named in the squad...went pretty well and nice to build on that. Pakistan are an outstanding side. It is an exercise and nice to compete and do all those things. There are always things to work on...great batting performance on a really good surface. We head off to a different surface against a different opposition and we look forward to it ahead of our first game

zeus: "With Chapman and Neesham playing so well as finishers, it might make sense for NZ to give Philips the gloves and replace Latham."

labesh: "@kamran, if I recall rightly, there was a warmup match of ind and pak couple of wc before, and a kamran won us that match.. Though unofficial, that remains the only match we have won against India in any ODI wc"

Obaid Fayyaz : "Great warm up game. I am still feeling the heat as a disappointed Pakistan Fan. :)"

A.K.Baig...: "Poor show by Pakistan with ball (or super performance by NZ with bat)...with this pace NZ might have chased even if the target was 410 ...Y shadaab was not given chance.."

Noor: "India and Pakistan had a warm up match before the 2012 World T20 that Pakistan won, their matchup during the event was sadly another tale."

Malik Murad: "Embarrassing loss for Pakistan. They couldn't defend 300 score. Babar has to think out of the box with this available lot of bowlers."

Ifhaam : "This is the biggest difference between PAK and other teams. PAK can play aggressively but they do not. On the other hand, when aggressive game could be played, other team play it aggressively. "

Ahmad : "Looking at the state of bowling. PCT fans may forget about even the semis without Naseem. Those 10 overs were just a miracle bowl after bowl. He may not get wickets but his consistent line kept the run rate in check"

Sowmya : "Win the toss win the match is a horrendous template which nullifies skills, form, fitness and strategy. Sadly, with rainy season starting in majority of South India, this would be the story of this WC"

Basit: "Had Shaheen been there, he might have curtailed NZ scoring at the start. But the middle overs are a big concern for Pakistan bowling!!"

Kamran: "Would it not be fun to have Pak vs Ind warm up match?" Wouldn't that be too hot for a warm-up?

Farhan: "And someone was saying how did Neesham get a place in this team ?? This is the reason. Some BRUTAL hitting this!"

Dr nirav: "I think if pitch at indore and rajkot was highway than this pitch is expressway.."

Ismail: "Although it's a practice game but looks like Pakistan need miracles in bating only as their bowling is below average. PCT fans are expecting too much from this team."