Pakistan will clash against New Zealand in the first game of the five-match T20I series on Friday, April 14, at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. All of Pakistan’s key players who were rested for the T20I series against Afghanistan have returned to the national side while the visitors will be missing the services of some of their top-drawer players due to their involvement in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2023.
Therefore, Pakistan look stronger on paper and they would back themselves to trump the second-string New Zealand side. However, the Black Caps still have many gun players in the mix and could give Babar Azam & Co. a run for their money. Hence, an exciting contest appears to be on the cards.
PAK vs NZ Match Details:
Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Date & Time: April 14, 09:30 PM IST
Broadcast and Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network and SonyLiv app
PAK vs NZ Pitch Report:
Gaddafi Stadium has mostly offered a batting-friendly surface in recent times and bowlers have been taken to the cleaners more often than not. In the last 10 T20Is played at the venue, the chasing side has won the game on six occasions. Therefore, the team winning the toss in the upcoming encounter might look to bowl first.
PAK vs NZ Probable Playing XIs
Pakistan (PAK):
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
New Zealand (NZ):
Chad Bowes, Tim Seifert, Tom Latham (c & wk), Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi
PAK vs NZ Probable Best Performers
Probable best batter: Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan has been a run-bank for Pakistan in the shortest format of the game. He has featured in 80 T20Is and amassed 2635 runs at an average of 48.79. The ace batter has all the class in the world and could put up a show with the bat on Friday.
Probable best bowler: Shaheen Afridi
Shaheen Afridi is known to rattle batters with his swing and wreak havoc with the ball. He has bagged 58 wickets in 47 T20Is at an economy of 7.52. The left-arm pacer would like to bring his A-game into play in the forthcoming game.
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