NZ vs PAK 2024/25, NZ vs PAK 1st T20I Match Preview

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 our 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.

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

Abhimanyu Bose is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo

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