NZ vs PAK Dream11 Prediction 1st T20I, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Predicted Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Updates

New Zealand will clash against Pakistan in the first match of a five-game T20I series at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday, January 12. Both these sides last played against each other in a five-match T20I series in Pakistan in April 2023. The series was drawn 2-2 with one game in no result.

Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead the Pakistan outfit for the first time in T20Is, while leggie Usama Mir, pacer Abbas Afridi, and keeper-batter Haseebullah Khan claimed their maiden call-ups to the T20I side. The selection committee, led by Wahab Riaz, has gone with six-pace bowling options considering the conditions in New Zealand.

Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, and Ihsanullah have been ruled out of this tour due to their respective injuries. Mohammad Harris, Shan Masood, and Faheem Ashraf, who were part of Pakistan’s last bilateral series, have been axed from the New Zealand T20I series.

For New Zealand, Matt Henry, who missed out on the World Cup 2023 due to his injury, will make a grand return to the T20I series. Captain Kane Williamson and Devon Conway, who were rested for the Bangladesh series, will be a part of the series. However, Williamson will miss the third T20I to manage his knee issue, which has been bothering him for a long time.

Pacer Ben Sears has been included for the first two matches, while Kyle Jamieson and Michael Bracewell have been ruled out due to injuries. Notably, Trent Boult and James Neesham weren’t available for selection. Both these sides have met against each other on 34 occasions in T20Is, with Pakistan winning 20 of them, while New Zealand bagged 13 wins. One encounter ended without a result.

Lockie Ferguson and Josh Clarkson will not be a part of this game.

The wicket at this venue is expected to assist batters with the highest T20I total achieved being 245/5 in T20Is. Pacers are anticipated to get a lateral movement initially, while spinners can shun the run-scoring rate. The average first innings score in the last five games has been 154.