Pakistan opt to bowl in crucial World Cup clash with New Zealand

BENGALURU : Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bowl in their high-stakes World Cup match with New Zealand, who welcomed back fit-again captain Kane Williamson on Saturday.

Pakistan made one change to their side with Hasan Ali coming in for spinner Usama Mir, as they decided to go into the contest with four seamers amid overcast conditions at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

New Zealand are fourth in the standings with eight points after seven games, two points and two spots above 1992 champions Pakistan, with both teams aiming to secure a top-four finish that will take them to the semi-finals.

Williamson made a superb half-century against Bangladesh on his return to the team last month following knee surgery, but was struck on his left thumb while completing a run and sustained a fracture that sidelined him again.

"My personal prep has been slightly limited but nice to be back," Williamson said.

He comes in for Will Young, while spinner Ish Sodhi replaced seamer Matt Henry, who was ruled out of the tournament after he tore his hamstring in their defeat by South Africa.

Teams:

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Trent Boult.

Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ali Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim, Haris Rauf.