Pakistan will look to move on from their debacle against Afghanistan as it faces the visiting New Zealand in the 1st T20I of the five-match series tonight.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has gone with a full-strength squad for the series while the Kiwis have been forced to make significant changes under the leadership of Tom Latham due to their players participating in the IPL.
Here is all you need to know ahead of the game.
Pakistan vs New Zealand T20I head-to-head:
Pakistan currently leads this international rivalry 18 games to 11 including winning five of their last six encounters.
Their last meeting came in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup which Babar Azam’s side won by 7 wickets.
When and where will the match take place?:
Gadafi Stadium Lahore will hold the contest at 9:00 PM (PKT) to accommodate fasting for the players.
Form:
Pakistan is coming off a series loss to Afghanistan in Sharjah which was their first bilateral series since the World Cup. As a result, Pakistan has lost three of its last five games but with the full-strength squad now in place, the results should be different as well.
New Zealand on the other hand, is coming off a series win against Sri Lanka at home with this very squad. They have, however, won just two of their last five fixtures as well.
Possible Pakistan lineup against New Zealand for 1st T20I:
With big names back for Pakistan, the Green Shirts’ playing XI is likely to have a familiar look with a sprinkle of new talent thrown in to get the job done.
New blood Saim Ayub and Ihsanullah should find a way into the team while Imad Wasim and Mohammad Nawaz could retain their places as well.
Here is what the playing XI could possibly look like:
Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Ihsanullah, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah.
