New Zealand tour of Pakistan

PAK vs NZ, 1st ODI

Preview

The 3-match ODI series between Pakistan and New Zealand will begin this Monday, 09th January at 03:00 PM IST from Karachi. Earlier, Both sides had played a 2-match Test series which ended in a draw almost at the last minute of the fixtures. 

For the ODI series, The Hosts announced a 16-member squad against New Zealand. Three uncapped players have been included in the team announced under the leadership of interim chief selector Shahid Afridi. At the same time, some players have returned. All these matches will be played at National Stadium Karachi. The ODI series between the two countries will begin on January 9. The final two ODI matches are scheduled on January 11 and 13, respectively. A five-match T20I series will be played at the same location after the ODI series between the two sides. 

The left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman has returned to Pakistan's ODI team against New Zealand. He was out for some time due to injuries. Apart from him, Sohail has also got a place in the 16-member team. Harris has returned to the ODI team after almost two years. He last played an ODI for Pakistan in October 2020. Apart from these, three uncapped players Kamran Ghulam, Tayyab Tahir and Usama Mir have also got a place in the ODI team. All these uncapped players have performed brilliantly in domestic cricket. With the inclusion of these uncapped players, it seems that Pakistan's focus is on the ODI World Championship to be held this year in India. 

According to reports, interim chief selector Shahid Afridi said, that he spoke to Shadab Khan. He is not feeling well because of a finger injury. This is the reason why he has not been included in Pakistan's team for the ODI series against New Zealand. During this, Afridi also said that the selection committee talked to the management before selecting the team for the three ODIs. According to him, he also asked Babar Azam and Saqlain Mushtaq to give them 16 players of their choice because the side felt things could be better. 

For The Black Caps, one of Ish Sodhi or Matt Henry will be in the playing 11 based on the pitch conditions. The left-handed Devon Conway and Finn Allen will open the innings for this match. The middle-order batter Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips are likely to shield the middle order for NZ. The fast bowlers Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson will be leading the pace attack. The left-arm spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell are likely to be their spin-bowling all-rounders.

For the first ODI between Pakistan and New Zealand, there are no new injury updates from either team as of now. Both sides have faced each other 107 times in ODIs where the Hosts have won 55 matches, and New Zealand have won 48 matches and one match ended in a tie between them. Whereas 3 matches ended with no match result. 

Match Details

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

Date: Monday, January 09th, 2023

Time: 03:00 PM (Jan 09)

Venue: National Stadium, Karachi

Pitch Report

The National stadium Karachi pitch is considered a high-scoring and flat track, but effective bowling can control the run flow. The Karachi pitch has long been regarded as one of the best batting surfaces on Pakistani surfaces. The average first-inning score for this pitch is 244 runs which also favours the bowling team on most occasions on this surface. The pitch is quite flat and provides little to no aid to bowlers, whether seamers or spinners.

The weather forecast for Monday, January 9, for this encounter, calls for a warm evening to be followed by pleasant weather with a maximum of 26°C and a low of 14°C with 47% humidity and a wind speed of Light, 14 Km/HR SE on the match day. There is no chance of rain throughout the entire day or in the hours before the game.

PAK vs NZ Squads:

PAK: Babar Azam (captain), Shan Masood (vice-captain), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tayyab Tahir, Usama Mir, Salman Ali Agha

NZ: Kane Williamson (captain), Tom Latham, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Henry Shipley

Probable Playing XI:

PAK: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Haris Sohail/Agha Salman, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Usama Mir/Mohammad Hasnain

NZ: Devon Conway, Finn Allen (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mithcell Santner, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry/Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (c), Lockie Ferguson

Match Prediction

After both, the teams settled with a drawn Test series. Now The Hosts will be eyeing to start their ODI campaign with a win over the Blackcaps in the first ODI of the series. The Likes of Williamson, Babar Azam, Tim Southee, Mohammad Rizwan and others will be in the action on Monday. The record book suggests that Men in green always have an upper on the Kiwis at home. We say Pakistan beat New Zealand in this encounter with a home advantage. 

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