New Zealand vs Pakistan – Tri-Nations Final Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
New Zealand vs Pakistan – Tri-Nations Final Date: Friday, February 14
BetXchange New Zealand vs Pakistan – Tri-Nations Final Odds:
History
This was supposed to be a run-of-the-mill Tri-Nation Series that leads into the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, which will be held in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
Instead, we saw a little bit of history on Wednesday, with Pakistan running down a monstrous South African total to beat the Proteas and face the Black Caps of New Zealand in Friday’s final.
The third game of the group stage was a straight-up elimination match. New Zealand had already beaten Pakistan and South Africa in their pool matches.
The first ODI saw New Zealand smash their way to 330/6 from 50 overs. They were led by Glenn Phillips, who posted an undefeated 106 from 75 balls. Mitchell Santner led the Black Caps bowling attack. He took three wickets for 41 runs as they bowled out the hosts for 252.
The Proteas had to beat Pakistan to advance after losing to New Zealand by six wickets in the second ODI. Winning the toss and electing to bat, South Africa smashed the ball to all corners of the National Stadium oval. Their total of 352/5 looked insurmountable.
Pakistan had other ideas. In a batting performance for the ages, they reached 355/4 with an entire over to spare, winning by six wickets. This was the highest successful ODI run chase in Pakistani international cricket history.
That this final, in Karachi, features the same two teams as the Champions Trophy opening match in five days, in Karachi, it is a rare piece of sporting symmetry.
New Zealand
New Zealand may treat this Tri-Nation Series as a warm-up for the Champions Trophy, but they would love to close out undefeated competition. Santer’s men are confident, and if they win here, then the sky is the limit regarding their more significant goals over the next month.
Pakistan
A huge part of Pakistan’s win over South Africa was a stand of 260 for the fourth wicket between the experienced pair of Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha. This included Agha’s maiden international ODI century.
Best Bets
Interestingly, Pakistan is favored here. New Zealand beat the hosts comprehensively in Lahore, but Pakistan’s roaring back to beat South Africa in Karachi suggests that momentum is on their side.
This is a flat track that will favor the batsmen. One look at the scores in the South Africa/Pakistan match shows that pacers cannot find speed, and spinners struggled to make the ball move. A couple of scores over 275 and pushing over 300 would not be a shock.
Kane Williamson is always worth a shout as the best New Zealand batsman, and he is 11/5 here. So far, he has 191 runs in the series, the second most of any player. His 133 not out against South Africa points to another big total on Friday.
If you like New Zealand to win and Williamson to score well, lock him in as the potential Player of the Match at 10/1.
