Pakistan were provided with a lifeline by South Africa after New Zealand shot themselves in the foot by deciding to bowl first against the monstrous Proteas batting line-up on a great batting pitch at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Pakistan, who ended their four-match losing streak with a massive win against Bangladesh, need someone from the top four, preferably New Zealand to keep losing while winning all their remaining games in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 as the race for the semifinals heats up. In Proteas, they might have found a new ally.
South Africa's colossal 190-run win against Tom Latham's New Zealand was a record victory and Pakistan will hope to use the advantage and do their job, of winning the remaining two games. The first up is against the Kiwis, who haven't clicked themselves in the last three games having lost three games on the bounce but they know that one win could revitalise them.
The weather has been pleasant in Bengaluru, however, heavy rains are predicted in the next few days in the city. Here's what the weather forecast for NZ vs SA pitch looks like-
As per Accuweather, the forecast for Saturday is not great with a 68 per cent chance of rain in the daytime. Since it's a day game, the match is likely to be affected as the radar shows rain for around a couple of hours with a 27 per cent chance of thunderstorms. The probability of precipitation picks up in the afternoon as they go to 51 per cent and then reduces to 20 per cent in the evening. If the forecast is anything to go by, a shortened match is very well on the cards. The rain can play a big part in this match if the afternoon gets washed out.
The temperatures are set to hover around a high of 29 degrees and a low of 20 degrees with a full cloud cover to remain throughout the day.
