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New Zealand (92/1) crush Pakistan (91) by 9 wickets in the first T20I game and lead the 5-match series 1-0

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The 2025 cricketing calendar is packed with exciting fixtures and with the much-awaited return of the ICC Champions Trophy now out of the way, we are back to a bilateral series that is going to be played between Champions Trophy hosts Pakistan and Champions Trophy runners-up New Zealand. It will be Pakistan traveling to New Zealand for a couple of white-ball series' that include 5 T20Is and 3 ODIs and the tour will commence at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch with the 1st T20I. Both sides finished the Champions Trophy with a bit of disappointment as the Kiwis suffered another heartbreak in the finals, whereas Pakistan failed to reach the semifinals even after being the defending champions and playing at home and a lot has been made of that performance which has enforced a lot of personnel changes atleats for the T20I part of this series. New Zealand will also be without a lot of big names and will be led by Michael Bracewell who did have a good Champions Trophy and there are a few names retained from that squad with the likes of Will O'Rourke and Kyle Jamieson leading the bowling attack. A couple of seasoned campaigners return to the fore in the form of all-rounder James Neesham and leg spinner Ish Sodhi. The Kiwis do have a good mix of youth and experience, and with the focus now shifting to the T20 World Cup of 2026 to be played in India, a lot of players in this squad of just 13 will be looking to impress and try to get more of a starting role in the team.

Pakistan, on the other hand, have a new-look team but they have also retained the likes of Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi from the Champions Trophy along with leg spinner Abrar Ahmed and it will be Salman Agha who will lead the T20I side. Shadab Khan, a former mainstay of the national side, also returns for the T20I series and he will play deputy to Salman Agha as they look to forego the blemishes of the Champions Trophy and usher in a new dawn. Hard-hitting top-order batter Mohammad Haris also returns and Usman Khan keeps his place but that batting lineup does feature a lot of inexperienced players and the likes of Hasan Nawaz and Abdul Samad might even make their debuts in this series. Right then, the Kiwis will have the home advantage and will be the more confident side but with so many changes in the Pakistan squad, they might not have the pressure of that Champions Trophy disappointment and in the end, it might turn out to be a fascinating contest. Who do you think will come out on top in the opening encounter?

Squads:

New Zealand:
Michael Bracewell (capt), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zakary Foulkes (games 4 & 5), Mitchell Hay, Matt Henry (games 4 & 5), Kyle Jamieson (games 1, 2 & 3), Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Will O'Rourke (games 1, 2 & 3), Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi

Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (capt), Shadab Khan Abbas Afridi, Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Omair Bin Yousaf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.

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Pakistan face patchwork New Zealand in first test of their new T20 era

New Zealand are missing key players because of the IPL, but should still be formidable in familiar conditions at home

Big picture: Change in the air for Pakistan

For the longest time, they were inseparable at the top of the order for Pakistan in T20Is. Then, with questions about strike rates and maximising powerplay value cropping up, the team management tried putting some distance between them in the batting order. They found their way back up, together. But now, with just under a year to go for the next T20 World Cup, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are out altogether.

This signifies a shift in approach for Pakistan, perhaps triggered by the failure to make an impact at their own Champions Trophy, though that was an ODI contest.

Pakistan have opted for three dashers at the top. With Saim Ayub still unavailable, Pakistan have a likely top three of Mohammad Haris, Omair Yousuf and the uncapped Hasan Nawaz - all three have a reputation of being aggressive batters.

Salman Agha, Pakistan's new T20I captain, has emphasised the need to improve their intent and approach and the need to play "fearless" and "high-risk cricket", saying that the squad has players that have displayed that brand of cricket in domestic games.

The new-look Pakistan line-up will start off facing a difficult test against a strong New Zealand outfit, even though they are missing key players who are away on IPL duty. There is a formidable bowling attack, with Will O'Rourke, Ben Sears, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi and Jacob Duffy all set to test Pakistan's inexperience.

Key batters are missing, too, in the team led by Michael Bracewell, one of New Zealand's best performers in their run to the title round at the Champions Trophy. But Finn Allen is back, as are Tim Seifert and Jimmy Neesham. Daryl Mitchell hasn't gone anywhere. And Mitchell Hay, Mark Chapman and Tim Robinson are hardly pushovers. At home, they will think of themselves as favourites, with or without a Rachin Ravindra or a Devon Conway or a Glenn Phillips. If anything, the changes will give them a better idea of the make-up of the World Cup squad next year.

Form guide

New Zealand LWWWL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Pakistan LLLWW

In the spotlight: Finn Allen and Mohammad Haris

Since his 137 against Pakistan in January 2024, Finn Allen has failed to cross 50 in nine T20Is. In fact, he crossed 25 only twice in this period, with a high score of 32. He turned out for Perth Scorchers in the BBL, but his form there was also indifferent, as he got just 181 runs from ten innings. Allen, despite not being centrally contracted, wants to play the T20 World Cup next year, but he knows he must turn his form around and marry his explosiveness with consistency. Last year, he scored 275 runs in the five-match T20I series against Pakistan, so there may not be a better team for him to face to get going again.

Omair Yousuf has played just six T20Is - three in the Asian Games and three in Zimbabwe. Hasan Nawaz has only three PSL games under his belt, and didn't get a game last season. That makes Mohammad Haris the most experienced player in Pakistan's new-look top three and the onus will be on him to break the shackles and play the new aggressive brand of cricket the team management is aiming for. It's also a comeback series for Haris, whose last international game was in September 2023.

Team news: The return of Jimmy Neesham and Finn Allen?

Neesham, Seifert and Allen are back in New Zealand's squad, and Neesham and Allen are likely to start. Sears and O'Rourke are expected to lead the fast-bowling attack, along with Jacob Duffy, who was the highest wicket-taker in New Zealand's last T20I series, against Sri Lanka.

New Zealand (probable): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Tim Robinson, 3 Mark Chapman, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 James Neesham, 6 Mitchell Hay (wk), 7 Michael Bracewell (capt), 8 Ben Sears, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Will O'Rourke, 11 Jacob Duffy

Apart from Nawaz, Pakistan might also hand a debut to Abdul Samad, who was picked despite having no PSL experience. Shadab Khan is back in the side and should lead the spin attack alongside Abrar Ahmed.

Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Haris (wk), 2 Omair Yousuf, 3 Hasan Nawaz, 4 Salman Agha (capt), 5 Abdul Samad, 6 Irfan Khan, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Shaheen Afridi, 9 Haris Rauf, 10 Abrar Ahmed, 11 Abbas Afridi

Pitch and conditions

The match will be played at Hagley Oval, and is part of a double-header with New Zealand taking on Sri Lanka in a women's T20I there earlier in the day. On an average, teams score at around eight runs an over at the ground, and last year, the two T20Is between these two teams were low-scoring affairs, with New Zealand first chasing down 159 and then bowling Pakistan out for 92 in their defence of 138.

Stats and trivia


Shaheen Afridi has 33 wickets against New Zealand, the most for him against any country by a big margin (13 against South Africa is his next best). His 13 wickets in New Zealand are also the most he has in any country apart from Pakistan and the UAE.
Finn Allen has hit 31 sixes in just nine T20I innings against Pakistan, the most by any batter. He is also just 134 runs away from becoming the the fourth batter from New Zealand to score 500 runs against Pakistan in T20Is.
Mark Chapman is the only batter to score 500 runs or more at a 150-plus strike rate against Pakistan in T20Is. He is one of only 10 batters to achieve such a feat against an opponent in T20Is.

Quotes

"We've probably had a bit more of focus on ourselves. With a few new young players coming into the Pakistan side, there is a bit of unknown. But I think as long as we know what we are trying to do, that'll be good enough for anyone that comes up against us."
New Zealand's stand-in captain Michael Bracewell

"This is a young team, and we want to play fearless cricket. That is high-risk cricket, which is a requirement in modern cricket. There will be failures with that approach, but we have to support our players."
Pakistan's new captain Salman Agha

 
Cricinfo's probably XI is: Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Haris (wk), 2 Omair Yousuf, 3 Hasan Nawaz, 4 Salman Agha (capt), 5 Abdul Samad, 6 Irfan Khan, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Shaheen Afridi, 9 Haris Rauf, 10 Abrar Ahmed, 11 Abbas Afridi

I don't like the idea of Rauf and Shaheen playing in the same XI, would have preferred Mohammad Ali in place for Rauf instead. But I'd take it
 
Cricinfo's probably XI is: Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Haris (wk), 2 Omair Yousuf, 3 Hasan Nawaz, 4 Salman Agha (capt), 5 Abdul Samad, 6 Irfan Khan, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Shaheen Afridi, 9 Haris Rauf, 10 Abrar Ahmed, 11 Abbas Afridi

I don't like the idea of Rauf and Shaheen playing in the same XI, would have preferred Mohammad Ali in place for Rauf instead. But I'd take it
Yes, Mohammad Ali should have replaced Rauf, otherwise good 11 , something to look forward, many youngster, breath of fresh air.

I'm particularly looking forward to see Harris and Omair Yusuf performing well and cementing their places . I like Harris's aggressive approach and Omair , in my opinion is one of the very few young players with good technique , good for longer version of cricket also.
 
For a team that's already struggling with a lack of talent/skills , the last thing you want to do is plug in 7 right handers in the Top 7.
 
Now we have selected youngsters its time to fully back them for atleast 2 series irrespective of their performances.
 
Muhammad haris
hassan nawaz
Salman agha
shadab
Irfan
Abdul samad
khushdil
shaheen
haris
naseem
abrar
looks like this will be 11
 
Yes, Mohammad Ali should have replaced Rauf, otherwise good 11 , something to look forward, many youngster, breath of fresh air.

I'm particularly looking forward to see Harris and Omair Yusuf performing well and cementing their places . I like Harris's aggressive approach and Omair , in my opinion is one of the very few young players with good technique , good for longer version of cricket also.
There is a reason why youngsters are brought to tough places like NZ, SA and Aus for Debut. Our domestic infrastructure is not strong enough to give players like Tilak Verma, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. I fear these youngsters may vanish for next couple of years if they don't perform on this tour . At least, they will disappear till the upcoming T20i World cup
 
Cricinfo's probably XI is: Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Haris (wk), 2 Omair Yousuf, 3 Hasan Nawaz, 4 Salman Agha (capt), 5 Abdul Samad, 6 Irfan Khan, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Shaheen Afridi, 9 Haris Rauf, 10 Abrar Ahmed, 11 Abbas Afridi

I don't like the idea of Rauf and Shaheen playing in the same XI, would have preferred Mohammad Ali in place for Rauf instead. But I'd take it
I will be surprised if Usman khan doesn't make it to the playing XI
 
This squad and change should have been done long time back. We would have seen a better fight in the t20s in Australia the last time they toured, judging by the way a gutsy Pakistani youngster opening the batting performed conpared to the experiences middle order
 
Muhammad haris
hassan nawaz
Salman agha
shadab
Irfan
Abdul samad
khushdil
shaheen
haris
naseem
abrar
looks like this will be 11
Good to see these young batters getting a chance but I am not sure if playing is the New Zealand is ideal for a youngster in testing conditions.
 
It will be either 230 or 120 all out
Look even if we don’t have the players right now to achieve 200+ totals consistently, the mindset needs to be built in so that the players coming in the future can build on that mindset.

Cricket really has evolved at a considerable rate and it’s not about managing your limited resources anymore.

We might fail hilariously catching up to the rest of the world, but atleast the mindset will get instilled into the new batch of players coming in.
 
Still feel like we lack strike power against spin and lefties in the top 7. All three of Khushdil, Irfan and Samad are only good against pace. Assuming Shadab is a certain starter, my XI is:

Omair
Haris / Usman
Salman
Shadab
Jahandad (leftie with proven hitting ability against spin)
Irfan
Khushdil
Samad
Abbas
Shaheen
Haris/Abrar
 
Any idea who is broadcasting in Germany? I checked online and its saying Sony Liv and Fancode which don't work here
 
New Zealand have won the toss and decided to bowl first
Teams

New Zealand:
Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Tim Robinson, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitch Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (c), Zac Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy

Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shadab Khan, Abdul Samad, Khushdil Shah, Jahandad Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Muhammad Haris (wk)
 
It looks nz does not care about pak sponsors or market.otherwise they should have started match 1 hour later at 7.30 am pst on a sunday morning.
 
When was the last time we played two patakha openers in T20Is ? Sharjeel and Khalid Latif are the last I remember. 9 year have passed.
 
It looks nz does not care about pak sponsors or market.otherwise they should have started match 1 hour later at 7.30 am pst on a sunday morning.
Pakistanis wake up early these days due to Ramzan. Timing is perfect.
 
It looks nz does not care about pak sponsors or market.otherwise they should have started match 1 hour later at 7.30 am pst on a sunday morning.
Itz ramadan timing people are already woken up. So timing will not be issue but it has to be seen how much interest is left among fans after champions trophy exit
 
Pakistan will lose but it's good to see a fresh squad for once and hopefully they try to attack from the get go
 
It’s so good to watch a series without Rizwan cringing around with his white lipstick
 
Tried to dance down didn't work tries playing it from the crease can't connect

Last one connects and gets caught

Lovely soft dismissal Haris 0 off 6

An Afridi would be happy this morning :afridi
 
Haris was too predictable. Just let it come to you a bit and trust your ability.
 
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