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Babar Azam-led Pakistan won the toss and decided to bowl first against Kane Williamson's New Zealand in the 35th match of the ODI World Cup 2023 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Pakistan need to win today's game to make their place in the semis of the extravagant tournament. On the other hand, the Kiwis will be looking forward to clinching a win to get their momentum back in the tournament. At the time of the toss, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said that they had opted to bowl first as there was moisture on the surface before the start of the game. "We will have a bowl first because of moisture on the surface. We have good bowling and we are trying to hit good lengths and execute our plans. We have one change. Usama Mir is not playing and Hasan Ali is playing. I'm feeling good (with the form), but not been able to finish games, I will try my best to enjoy myself and look forward to the game," Babar said. On the other hand, Williamson confirmed that Ish Sodhi replaced Matt Henry in the squad and he will be coming in for Will Young. "Slightly different-looking surface to what we expect here. We will try to put a competitive target and adapt to the conditions. Nice to be back out here, obviously a few niggles in the camp and the guys are very excited about the challenge today. We have 2 changes. Ish Sodhi comes in for Matt Henry and I come in for Will Young. Looks like it might take some turn. For us, it's about sticking to our plans and adapting to conditions as best as we can," Williamson said. New Zealand Playing XI: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson (C), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (Wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Trent Boult. Pakistan Playing XI: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (Wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf. The match between Pakistan and New Zealand will kick off at 10:30 AM IST. (ANI)
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