The 1st One-Day International between Pakistan and New Zealand will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Friday lunchtime local time. Pakistan’s previous test match in this format was in early July when they were defeated 3-0 by England. New Zealand has not played an ODI match since March.
England’s reserve ODI team soundly defeated Pakistan in July, but they will be confident in their chances against this New Zealand team in Pakistan.
New Zealand’s squad is unchanged from their 3-2 IT20 defeat in Bangladesh, except Ben Sears, who is only available for the T20I. They were difficult to beat in the previous encounter and will be in this one as well.
Weather
The weather will be largely sunny with no chance of rain. The temperature will hover around 28°C for the duration of the match.
Pitch
Over the years, the Rawalpindi pitch has been a sports one. In 24 ODIs, the average score at the venue has been 243. The option of chasing should be preferred.
Probable Playing XIs
Pakistan:
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Faheem Ashraf, Saud Shakeel, Haris Rauf
New Zealand:
Tom Latham (c&wk), Finn Allen, Will Young, Jacob Duffy, Colin de Grandhomme, Rachin Ravindra, Henry Nicholls, Scott Kuggeleijn, Ajaz Patel, Cole McConchie, Blair Tickner
Pakistan vs New Zealand – 1st ODI, Dream 11:
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Tom Latham (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Will Young, Shadab Khan, Rachin Ravindra, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Ajaz Patel
Prediction
Match winner
- Pakistan
Winning the toss
- Pakistan
Top Batsman
- Pakistan – Babar Azam
- New Zealand – Tom Latham
Top Bowler
- Pakistan – Shaheen Afridi
- New Zealand – Matt Henry
Most Sixes
- Pakistan – Shadab Khan
- New Zealand – Finn Allen
Player of the Match
- Pakistan – Babar Azam
Team Scores Batting First
- Pakistan – 170+
- New Zealand – 150+
Pakistan appears to be a far more potent team than New Zealand on paper. We expect a close game, with Pakistan’s top order proving the difference between the two teams as they take a 1-0 lead. Let’s enjoy your favourite with Baji now!