New Zealand tour of Pakistan, 2023

PAK vs NZ, 1st T20I

Preview

The five-match T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand will begin on Friday at the Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Lahore. After playing Test matches last year, New Zealand is anticipated to play its maiden T20I series there. Both teams are eager to perform well and prepare for the five-match T20I series.

In the history of the 20-over format, both sides have played 29 games; the Men-in-Green has a slight advantage with 18 wins compared to the Kiwis' 11 triumphs. Pakistan has won two of the three series against New Zealand since 2017.

The host team has chosen a full-strength roster for the forthcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand. The T20I squad for the New Zealand series will continue to include Saim Ayyub, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, and Zaman Khan, who played in the last series against Afghanistan in the UAE.

The team will depend on players like captain Babar, wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan, rookie opener Saim Ayyub, all-rounder Shadab Khan, and Mohammad Haris to score the majority of the runs in the batting department.

Star pacemen Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shan, Haris Rauf, and the spin team of Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz will be expected to provide crucial breakthroughs on the bowling front.

Due in significant part to their inexperienced team's arrival in the nation, New Zealand will enter this series as underdogs. To see how new players perform in Pakistan, veteran players are now competing in the ongoing Indian T20 League. However, the management expects to watch how the youthful players perform in this five-match T20I series.

The Black Caps will depend heavily on their skipper Tom Latham, inexperienced batsman Chad Bowes, Mark Chapman, and all-rounders James Neesham and Daryl Mitchell to produce the majority of the runs in the batting department. On the bowling front, pacers Ben Lister, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi will be expected to make timely breakthroughs.

Match Details

Match: PAK vs NZ, 1st T20I, New Zealand tour of Pakistan, 2023

Date: Friday, April 14, 2023

Time: 7:30 PM 

Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Pitch and Weather Report

Both sides will want to win the toss, bat first, and score some runs. Around 160 runs are scored in the first innings on average at Gaddafi Cricket Stadium.

The last two Twenty20 International games played at Gaddafi Cricket Stadium were losses for Pakistan.

The game's prepared wicket will be two-paced in the first half since the weather prediction is ideal and shows no signs of rain. Under lights, batting should get simpler.

PAK vs NZ Squads

PAK: Babar Azam, Asif Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Azam Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohaib Maqsood.

NZ: Tom Latham, Finn Allen, Todd Astle, Tom Blundell, Mark Chapman, Hamish Bennett, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Ajaz Patel, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears, Martin Guptill, Blair Tickner, Will Young.

PAK vs NZ Probable Playing XIs

PAK: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayyub, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Faheem Ashraf/Imad Wasim.

NZ: Tom Latham (captain &wk), Chad Bowes, Cole McConchie, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Ben Lister, Matt Henry.

Match Prediction

Pakistan, captained by Babar, will aim to win against New Zealand after losing the T20I series against Afghanistan. The host team will be eager to get their season off to a winning start. However, New Zealand must play its best cricket o compete with Pakistan in this series opener. Expect Pakistan to easily defeat New Zealand in Lahore and claim the first match of the five-match series.

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