New Zealand will face Pakistan in the first T20I of the five-match T20I series in Christchurch. This will be both teams’ first assignment after the Champions Trophy 2025.
New Zealand have most players missing from the Champions Trophy 2025, with a few fresh names included. They also have a new captain, Michael Bracewell.
Meanwhile, Pakistan have also thrown plenty of surprises with their T20I selection. The likes of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are not in the squad, with Salman Agha handed the captaincy duties.
New Zealand: Mitchell Hay (wk), Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Tim Robinson, Michael Bracewell (c), James Neesham, Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears.
Pakistan: Usman Khan (wk), Omair Yousuf, Mohammad Haris, Salman Agha (c), Khushdil Shah, Abdul Samad, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ali.
The pitch in Christchurch should be good for batting, with some new-ball help for speedsters. The batters should enjoy batting here, with the ball coming nicely on the willow. The team winning the toss might elect to field first, with a total of around 180 being a fighting one.
A temperature of around 23°C, with no threat of rain, is forecast.
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Finn Allen (NZ):
Daryl Mitchell (NZ):
Shaheen Afridi (PAK):
Michael Bracewell (NZ):
James Neesham (NZ):
Shadab Khan (PAK):
Abdul Samad (PAK):
While New Zealand are missing a few key players, they are still a solid outfit. Pakistan have a fairly inexperienced unit and might not adapt quickly to the conditions. Expect New Zealand to win the contest.
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