The pitch in Sharjah has been a sporting one thus far in the T20 tournament. Scoring boundaries hasn’t been overly tough, but the bowlers have also extracted a lot from the surface. Batting second should remain the way forward for the teams.
The surface at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium is a balanced one, with adequate assistance for both batters and bowlers on offer. It is anticipated to provide some initial help to the swing bowlers and the spinners will be important in the middle overs once again.
Average first innings score: 143
Head-to-head
New Zealand and Namibia are yet to face each other in T20Is.
STATS - T20
Total matches: 22
Matches won batting first: 13
Matches won bowling first: 9
Average 1st Inns scores: 146
Average 2nd Inns scores: 124
Highest total recorded: 215/6 (20 Ov) by AFG vs ZIM
Lowest total recorded: 44/10 (10 Ov) by NED vs SL
Highest score chased: 172/5 (18.5 Ov) by SL vs BAN
Lowest score defended: 142/7 (20 Ov) by WI vs BAN
Squads:
New Zealand Squad: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson(c), Devon Conway(w), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Tim Seifert, Kyle Jamieson, Todd Astle, Mark Chapman
Namibia Squad: Stephan Baard, Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus(c), Zane Green(w), David Wiese, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Michael van Lingen, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Ben Shikongo, Bernard Scholtz, Pikky Ya France, Michau du Preez, Karl Birkenstock