NEW ZEALAND PREPARES FOR A DIFFICULT MATCH AGAINST PAKISTAN: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, (17 September, 2021). Pakistan will be quietly confident of playing well against the visitors, who are missing several important players in their ranks, after hosting New Zealand for the first time in 18 years. With head coach Misbah-ul-Haq stepping down just a few days ago, the Babar Azam-led side has had to deal with some turmoil off the field. The hosts, on the other hand, will go into the game with the upper hand, since they have a good combination of spin and pace in their attack, as well as some experienced batsmen. The young New Zealand team failed to win a T20I series in Bangladesh, but they will hope that their experiences there would prepare them well for the next visit to Pakistan. Tom Blundell was ruled out of the series with a quad strain on the eve of the match, dealing further blow to Tom Latham’s team. His successor has been named Daryl Mitchell.