The fourth Twenty20 International of the five-match series between Pakistan and New Zealand takes place at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Friday, January 19. For the first time in the series, the captain of New Zealand won the toss, giving Pakistan their first opportunity to bat first.
As fresh faces were given an opportunity, there were some adjustments on both sides. One day prior to the match, New Zealand’s opener Devon Conway tested positive for COVID-19, necessitating one last-minute replacement. The 32-year-old has been placed in isolation at the team hotel in Christchurch, according to New Zealand Cricket.
Notably, Conway wasn’t playing well in the series; he has only scored 0 runs, 20 runs, and 7 in his first three innings of play. Will Young is the new right-handed batter in place of Conway. In his 14 T20I appearances, the 31-year-old has amassed 260 runs at an average of 20.
Aside from Conway, there was one other change made by New Zealand: fast bowler Adam Milne replaced wrist spinner Ish Sodhi, who was rested.
Notably, Milne has taken six wickets from two games, ranking third in the series, while Sodhi has claimed four wickets from the first three matches.
Sahibzada Farhan replaces Azam Khan in Pakistan.
In 49 T20I matches thus far, the right-arm seamer has claimed 56 wickets at an average of 24.32. However, Pakistan made one alteration to their starting lineup when they benched wicketkeeper Azam Khan in favor of Sahibzada Farhan. The 27-year-old has scored 40 runs in three T20Is so far. Azam’s run total in the three series matches thus far has been just 22 runs.
Pakistan, meanwhile, will be driven to win the fourth Twenty20 International in order to prevent a rout. With Finn Allen leading the way with 245 runs from three innings, they are behind the series 0–3. New Zealand has dominated the first three games of the series.
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