T20 World Cup 2022: “Pakistan were lucky; they will have to work hard” – Mohammad Kaif picks New Zealand as favorites in semifinals

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has named Kane Williamson-led New Zealand to win against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup semi-final in Sydney on Wednesday, November 9.

He mentioned that the Blackcaps have been consistent in the tournament and are likely to dominate the familiar conditions in Australia. The Kiwis only lost to England in the tournament's Super 12 stage.

Kaif pointed out that Babar Azam and Co., on the other hand, were lucky enough to qualify for the top four after beating Bangladesh in their last Super 12 fixture.

He questioned their overall game after suffering losses against arch-rivals India and Zimbabwe. He added that Pakistan had not won their last three games quite convincingly. Speaking to Sportskeeda, Kaif said:

“Pakistan were lucky to qualify for the semi-finals. They will have to work hard to win the next match. New Zealand are the favorites because they love playing in T20 World Cup and they do well [in the tournament].

"Even if they do not win, but reach the semi-finals and final. They do not have big heroes, but they find ways to reach the final.”

He added:

“I’ll keep New Zealand ahead because they were consistent. The Kiwis are a disciplined team and bowl very few wide and no-balls. New Zealand and Australia’s conditions are quite similar because they are neighboring countries and I think Kane Williamson is a decent captain.”

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“We need firepower at the top” – Shahid Afridi wants Mohammad Haris to open Pakistan's innings in T20 World Cup semi-final

Former skipper Shahid Afridi feels Pakistan captain Babar Azam should drop to No.3 while Mohammad Haris should be promoted as an opener against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup semi-final.

Haris hit 28 off 11 balls against South Africa and followed it up with 31 off 18 deliveries against Bangladesh.

Afridi wrote on Twitter:

“@babarazam258 we need fire power at the top with batters who are showing clear intent like Haris and Shahdab. Plz consider Haris opening with Riz and you one down followed by ur next best hitter. You should be rigid on winning the match and flexible on a balanced batting line up.”

Babar has failed to deliver with the bat in the ongoing T20 World Cup for Pakistan. He got off to a good start against Bangladesh (25 off 33 balls) but was unable to convert it into a big score.

So far, the right-handed batter has scored only 39 runs in five matches in the showpiece T20 event. Pakistani fans will hope he leads from the front in the knockout matches.

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan also hasn’t lived up to his stature in the premier tournament, with 103 runs in five games.