Women’s ODI World Cup | PAK vs NZ, 19th match in Colombo, Preview

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New Zealand Women will meet Pakistan Women in the 19th match of the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 in Colombo on Saturday. The White Ferns will try to gain an entry into the top four of the points table after both sides had to share points in their respective last games at the same venue due to rain.
‌New Zealand Women would look to peak at the right time as they face Pakistan Women in a group game of the ODI World Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday. With the business end of the tournament fast approaching, a win will take the White Ferns into the top four and above joint-hosts India. They currently have three points from four games, while Pakistan are languishing at the bottom of the table with a solitary point.New Zealand were fortunate to have eked out a point against Sri Lanka from their last game at the same venue. The hosts accelerated admirably towards the end of their innings, courtesy of an aggressive half-century from Nilkashika de Silva and some sloppy fielding from the Kiwis, to post a formidable 258 before rain intervened.

Meanwhile, Pakistan are still in search of their first win in the tournament after heavy downpour robbed them of a chance to end the drought. They were well-placed at 34/0, chasing a revised target of 113 in 31 overs, when the weather gods called the shots yet again.

After a slow start to their campaign, which saw them lose their first two matches, the Kiwis recovered well to post a huge win over Bangladesh. Captain Sophie Devine has been in rollicking form with a century and two fifties, topping the run charts with 260 runs in three innings at an average of 86.66. Meanwhile, Sidra Amin is the highest run-getter for the Women in Green with 116 runs at 38.66.

On the bowling front, Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana is joint-second in the overall list with nine wickets from four matches, while veteran pacer Lea Tahuhu has seven from three games.

Form Guide

PAK W Form: W L L L NR

NZ W Form: W L L W NR

PAK W vs NZ W head-to-head in ODIs

New Zealand have dominated Pakistan with an imperious record of 15 wins in 17 ODIs so far. Meanwhile, the Women in Green have a solitary win, with one match ending in a tie.

PAK W 1 – 15 NZ W

Pitch and Conditions

The surface at the R Premadasa Stadium is expected to be slow and sluggish, with the spinners expected to play an important role in this game as well. With the rain clouds looming large, both sides will look to have a target in mind and prefer chasing.

It will be a cloudy afternoon in Colombo with another rainy day on the cards. The temperatures are expected to be around 31 degrees at the start before cooling down to 25 degrees, with a 91% chance of rain in the second half of the game.

Team News

New Zealand may bring back Lea Tahuhu in place of Bree Illing, while Pakistan are expected to play the same side that took the field against England on Wednesday.

PAK W Expected XI

Muneeba Ali, Omaima Sohail, Sidra Amin, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Fatima Sana (c), Sidra Nawaz (wk), Rameen Shamim, Diana Baig, Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu.

NZ W Expected XI

Georgia Plimmer, Suzie Bates, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (c), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wk), Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson.

Broadcasting Platforms 

The PAK W vs NZ W ODI World Cup match will be digitally streamed on the JioHotstar app and website in India from 3:00 PM IST on Saturday, with live telecast on the Star Sports network.

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