T20 World Cup: Onus on Pakistan spinners and New Zealand batters as Super Eight begins

After shouldering their team’s leap past the group-stage hurdle, Pakistan spinners will be expected to live up to the reputation through the Super Eight phase too, beginning with their Group 2 match against New Zealand at the R. Premadasa Stadium here on Saturday.

Traditionally a pace powerhouse, Pakistan’s pivoting has not even been subtle. It handed out 18 overs to its spinners against arch-rival India, and even dropped pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi in its last group-stage match against Namibia.

However, the game against India, Pakistan’s only match at this venue so far, also exposed the chinks in its attack.

Southpaw Ishan Kishan exploited the on-side in that game, scoring 23 off just nine balls against Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan.

Kiwi middle-order bat Mark Chapman would take a leaf out of Kishan’s book to assert himself.

Against Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips, who have handled spin at strike rates of 170 and 197, respectively, pinning all hopes on its tweakers might come back to haunt Pakistan.

Additionally, a rain forecast on Saturday dangles a carrot at Pakistan to play Afridi with Salman Mirza.

With the bat, a little support for Sahibzada Farhan might go a long way. The opener became just the second centurion for Pakistan at T20 World Cups, and has 220 runs from four games. No other Pakistan batter has crossed even 100.

New Zealand, arriving on these shores after flourishing on batter-friendly surfaces in Chennai and Ahmedabad, would be cautious to not fall into a muddle.

Finn Allen and Tim Seifert have helped New Zealand score at 9.73 runs in the PowerPlay, but emulating it on Lankan soil is more than a long shot. On a slightly slower surface, they will hope to leave a platform for its middle-order to consolidate upon.

The return of captain Mitchell Santner might only make a well-rounded performance likelier.