Anticipation is high as New Zealand and Pakistan gear up for the opening game of the T20I series at Auckland’s Eden Park this Friday. After a less-than-ideal performance against Bangladesh in December 2023, New Zealand, led by Kane Williamson, are eager to reclaim their winning ways with a full-strength squad featuring talents like Finn Allen, Devon Conway, and Matt Henry. 

Pakistan, on the other hand, would be looking to bounce back after a tough Test series against Australia, with newly-appointed captain Shaheen Afridi determined to lead his team to victory. 

Talking about the head-to-head stats, In their 34 T20 encounters, Pakistan hold the upper hand with 20 wins compared to New Zealand’s 13 victories, with one match ending in a no result. Recent form, however, favors Pakistan, having claimed victory in three out of the last six encounters between the two teams. 

New Zealand will rely on the likes of Conway, Allen, Williamson, Seifert, Mitchell, Phillips, and Neesham in the batting department, with Tim Seifert being a consistent performer since January 2023 with 401 runs at an average of 33.41 in T20Is. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s batting department will be led by Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayyub, Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Fakhar Zaman, with Rizwan being in impressive form with scoring runs at an average of 54.00 since January 2023. 

Bowling will play a crucial role for both teams, with New Zealand banking on Milne, Henry, Southee, and Santner for breakthroughs while Pakistan will look to Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr., and Mohammad Nawaz for timely wickets. 

Pitch Report 

The pitch at Eden Park in Auckland is anticipated to favour the fast bowlers with the new ball, while the short boundaries on both sides are likely to encourage batters to score freely. The weather forecast for Friday’s match predicts clear skies in the evening. Both teams will be vying to win the toss and opt to bowl first, aiming to restrict their opponents to a total of fewer than 150 runs. In the previous two matches played at Eden Park, the team batting second emerged victorious.