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New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra (SECOND FROM LEFT) celebrates the wicket of South Africa's Aiden Markram with teammates like Mitchell Santner (LEFT) during the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final cricket match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. (AP Photo)Salman Ali Agha-led Pakistan will take on Michael Bracewell’s New Zealand in the five-match T20I series starting on Sunday. The first game will be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
The second match will be played at University Oval in Dunedin on March 18, while the third match will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on March 21. The fourth and fifth T20Is will be played at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui and Sky Stadium in Wellington on March 23 and 26, respectively.
A three-match ODI series will follow the T20I action and will be played from 29 March to 5 April.
With New Zealand T20 regulars Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and white-ball captain Mitchell Santner unavailable with IPL commitments, the T20 squad features a mix of established and returning stars. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s squad includes three uncapped players – Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Ali – who earned call-ups to the national side following their impressive performances in recent domestic events.
The first T20I between NZ vsPAK match will happen on Sunday at 6.45 am (IST) with the toss at 6.15 am (IST). The match will be played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The match will be broadcast on TV on Sony Sports Network. You can also livestream the PAK vs NZ match on Sony LIV and Fancode apps and websites.
New Zealand squad: Michael Bracewell (c), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes (games 4 and 5 only), Mitch Hay, Matt Henry (games 4 and 5 only), Kyle Jamieson (games 1, 2 and 3 only), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Will O’Rourke (games 1, 2 and 3 only), Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi
Pakistan Squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousaf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan
Tim Robinson, Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Mitch Hay (WK), Michael Bracewell (c), Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jamieson, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears
Mohammad Haris (wk), Usman Khan, Salman Ali Agha (C), Shadab Khan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Sufyan Moqim
The pitch at Hagley Oval is generally known to favor batsmen. This means that high scores are often expected. Teams batting second have had a higher success rate at Hagley Oval in T20Is.
The forecast indicates clear skies, suggesting that the match is unlikely to be disrupted by rain. The temperatures are expected to be around the mid 20’s Celcius.
Matches played: 44
Pakistan won: 23
New Zealand won: 19
March 16 – first T20I, Hagley Oval, Christchurch
March 18 – second T20I, University Oval, Dunedin
March 21 – third T20I, Eden Park, Auckland
March 23 – fourth T20I, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
March 26 – fifth T20I, Sky Stadium, Wellington
March 29 – first ODI, McLean Park, Napier
April 2 – second ODI, Seddon Park, Hamilton
April 5 – third ODI, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
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