New Zealand will face Pakistan in the first T20I of the five-match T20I series in Christchurch. This will be both teams’ first assignment after the Champions Trophy 2025.
New Zealand have most players missing from the Champions Trophy 2025, with a few fresh names included. They also have a new captain, Michael Bracewell.
Meanwhile, Pakistan have also thrown plenty of surprises with their T20I selection. The likes of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are not in the squad, with Salman Agha handed the captaincy duties.
NZ vs PAK: Probable Playing XIs
New Zealand: Mitchell Hay (wk), Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Tim Robinson, Michael Bracewell (c), James Neesham, Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears.
Pakistan: Usman Khan (wk), Omair Yousuf, Mohammad Haris, Salman Agha (c), Khushdil Shah, Abdul Samad, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ali.
NZ vs PAK: Pitch Report and Weather Conditions
The pitch in Christchurch should be good for batting, with some new-ball help for speedsters. The batters should enjoy batting here, with the ball coming nicely on the willow. The team winning the toss might elect to field first, with a total of around 180 being a fighting one.
A temperature of around 23°C, with no threat of rain, is forecast.
Finn Allen will open the innings. He is an attacking batter and will enjoy playing in Christchurch.
Finn Allen has 366 runs at an average of 40.66 and a strike rate of 183 in nine T20I innings against Pakistan. He also has two fifties and a century against them.
Daryl Mitchell (NZ):
Daryl Mitchell is among the most consistent batters in the New Zealand team. He scores runs almost every time.
Daryl Mitchell has 309 runs at an average of 34.33 and a strike rate of 152.21 in 11 T20I innings against Pakistan. He also has three fifties against them.
Shaheen Afridi (PAK):
Shaheen Afridi will get some movement early on. He can bring breakthroughs in the powerplay.
Shaheen Afridi has 33 wickets at an average of 18.54 and a strike rate of 13.66 in 21 T20I innings against New Zealand. He also has a four-wicket haul against them.
Top Captaincy and Vice-Captaincy Picks for NZ vs PAK Dream11 Prediction
Michael Bracewell (NZ):
Michael Bracewell is among the most popular captaincy options for this game.
Michael Bracewell has been in fine form with the ball lately. He can also contribute handsomely with the willow.
James Neesham (NZ):
James Neesham is another popular captaincy option for this game. He will also contribute with both bat and ball.
James Neesham has 12 wickets at an average of 24.83 and a strike rate of 16 in 12 T20I innings against Pakistan. He will enjoy batting in Christchurch.
Shadab Khan (PAK):
Shadab Khan is another player to contribute with both bat and ball. He will bowl all four overs and also bat slightly up in the order.
Shadab Khan has 17 wickets at an average of 33.11 and a strike rate of 26.82 in 22 T20I innings against New Zealand. Expect him to make an impact again.
NZ vs PAK Player to Avoid
Abdul Samad (PAK):
Abdul Samad might not be as effective and can be avoided for this game.
Grand League Team for NZ vs PAK Dream11 Prediction
Small League Team for NZ vs PAK Dream11 Prediction
NZ vs PAK Dream11 Prediction
While New Zealand are missing a few key players, they are still a solid outfit. Pakistan have a fairly inexperienced unit and might not adapt quickly to the conditions. Expect New Zealand to win the contest.
