PAK vs NZ Match Preview

New Zealand and Pakistan will compete in the Pakistan Tri-Nation Series final on Friday night in Karachi. The Kiwis proved to be the most dominant team in the event, coming into this match with two straight victories and plenty of confidence. Pakistan, on their other hand, may not be considered flawless, but having experience with local conditions could be advantageous. With home support back them, they will be difficult to beat. However, New Zealand appears to be the team to beat, making the final a thrilling battle of momentum and home advantage.

PAK vs NZ Match Details

Pakistan vs New Zealand – Final Match, ODI Match

Venue: National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex, Karachi

Date & Time: 14th February 2025 at 02:30 PM IST 

Live Streaming: Disney+Hotstar

PAK vs NZ Venue Stats

PAK vs NZ Pitch Report

It is anticipated a hard and true wicket, with spinners used primarily to slow the pace for the runs. Whoever bats first will be looking for a score of at least 285.

PAK vs NZ Weather Report

The temperature will rise to 22 degrees at the beginning of the game but will fall to the high teens by the end.

PAK vs NZ Last Five Matches

PAK vs NZ Head-to-Head Stats

Injury News

No Injury. Will be added when there is an update.

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PAK vs NZ Probable Playing XIs:

New Zealand Probable Playing XIs

Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Ben Sears, William O’Rourke

Pakistan Probable Playing XIs

Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain/ Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed

Topmost Picks for PAK vs NZ Dream11 Prediction:

Top Picks – Pakistan

• Fakhar Zaman – Fakhar Zaman has been a key player at the top of the order, amassing 125 runs across two innings with a strike rate of 129.
• Shaheen Shah Afridi – Shaheen Afridi has taken 5 wickets in two games while keeping his economy at 7.70. The twenty-four-year-old pacer has taken 20 wickets in only nine games against New Zealand.

Top Picks – New Zealand

• Kane Williamson – Kane Williamson has been the backbone of the batting lineup, racking up 191 runs in just two innings, including a century and a half-century.
• William O’Rourke –  William O’Rourke will enter the tri-nation series with great confidence, having finished top on the bowling charts with nine wickets during Sri Lanka's tour of New Zealand.

Suggested Playing XI N0.1 for PAK vs NZ Dream11 Team:

Mohammad Rizwan, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell(VC), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mitchell Santner, Salman Agha(C), Shaheen Afridi, Matt Henry, Abrar Ahmed

Suggested Playing XI N0.2 for PAK vs NZ Dream11 Team:

Mohammad Rizwan, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson(C), Fakhar Zaman(VC), Babar Azam, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Matt Henry, Abrar Ahmed

Captain and Vice-Captain Options:

Captain – Salman Agha, Kane Williamson

Vice-captain – Fakhar Zaman, Daryl Mitchell

Wicketkeeper – Mohammad Rizwan

PAK vs NZ Probable Winners:

The final of the Pakistan Tri-Nation Series is shaping up to be an exciting match between New Zealand and Pakistan. New Zealand has been the most consistent team, winning two straight matches, including a dominating performance against Pakistan in their first encounter. However, Pakistan has recovered well and is intimately familiar with these conditions, making them an explosive opponent. While each side has its strengths, New Zealand's overall balance gives them a slight advantage. At this point, the odds are slightly in their favor, at 60-40. Considering the team combination, New Zealand is expected to win this match.

In their final Super 12 match on Sunday, November 6, Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by 5 wickets to advance to the semifinals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The team, which batted first, got off to a good start in the first ten overs of the match but didn’t take advantage of it.

Bangladesh posted just 127/8 from 73 for 2 with a strong batting depth, which was never going to bother Pakistan.

This target was easily reached with 11 balls remaining.

Pakistan’s bowling attack was led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, who took 4 wickets for just 22 runs in his four overs quota to set a career high. In his four overs, Shadab Khan gave up 31 runs and took two wickets. Mohammad Haris (31) and Shan Masood (24) assisted in chasing down the target, and the opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan started the innings relatively slowly.

Moin Khan, former Pakistan wicketkeeper, advised young batter Mohammad Haris to open with Mohammad Rizwan and captain Babar Azam to bat at one down in order to make use of the fielding restrictions.

“I agree with Aquib that Babar Azam should drop himself down the order for the next two games. He can open if he wishes in the subcontinent. Open with Mohammad Haris if he wants to use the fielding restrictions but Babar should not open,”

Moin Khan revealed on Geo Super.

Pakistan’s openers had a strike rate of 85.5 combined during the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup that is currently underway. It is only currently superior to Zimbabwe’s 84.9. Mohammad Haris scored 59 runs in two innings at an impressive strike rate of 203.45 while playing fearless cricket and attacking from ball 1.

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Pakistan seized the last chance to reach the T20 World Cup semi-finals after South Africa’s shocking loss to the Netherlands. On Wednesday, November 9, the Babar Azam-led team will face New Zealand in the semi-finals at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Pakistan beat New Zealand by 5 wickets in Yesterday’s Match at Sharjah.

Pakistan beat New Zealand by 5 wickets in the Super 12 match of the 2017 T20 World Cup on Tuesday in Sharjah, owing to a late flourish from Asif Ali and Shoaib Malik. With this victory, Babar Azam’s team climbed to the top of Group B with two wins in a row. Pakistan won the game with 8 balls to spare after chasing a score of 135. Haris Rauf’s four-wicket haul earlier had restricted New Zealand to 134/8. Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway had both struck 27 for New Zealand, while skipper Kane Williamson had a slow 26-ball 25. Pakistan had won the toss and had chosen to bat first.

With a five-wicket win in the T20 World Cup on Tuesday, Pakistan took “revenge” on New Zealand for a recent off-field snub. Pacer Haris Rauf led a clinical bowling display with an excellent four-wicket haul before Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali’s onslaught as Pakistan took “revenge” on New Zealand for a recent off-field snub. Except for opener Mohammad Rizwan (33), Pakistan’s top-order hitters struggled, but the veteran Malik (26 not out off 20 balls) and number seven Ali (27 not out off 12) flourished towards the end with a 48-run sixth-wicket partnership to carry Pakistan home with eight balls to spare.

As Pakistan has won two matches in a row, it has raised many questions as to whether Pakistan will prove a serious threat to all other teams. Similarly, the Kiwis’ next match against India will be very interesting to observe.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Wednesday revealed that the cancellation of the New Zealand cricket team’s tour of Pakistan as a result of the fifth-generation hybrid war against Pakistan as fake news was generated by India to sabotage it.

Speaking here at a news conference along with Federal Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid, Fawad explained that the threatening email was generated from a secure service, Proton mail, and Pakistan has requested Interpol to assist it in further investigations. He explained that on August 19, a Facebook post was circulated from a fabricated account made in the name of Ehsanullah Ehsan (former spokesman of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) on the social media, asking the New Zealand Cricket Board and the government not to send the team to Pakistan, as a plan had been made to target the New Zealand team, however, the post was not found on the Facebook.

Fawad said that on August 24, Martin Guptill’s wife had received a threatening email from email ID: tehreekelabaik@protonmail.com, threatening to kill Martin Guptill while on tour. The email ID was not associated with any SMN. But interestingly, the very email account was generated at 01:05 am on Aug 24 and emailed on the same day at 11:59 am: It was obvious that the email was generated purposefully as no other activity was found from the same email.

The minister continued that despite all these tactics, the New Zealand tour was not canceled and its team arrived in Pakistan on September 11 and 12 in two chartered flights. The team attended practice sessions at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on September 13 and 14 from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm and no threat alert was reported and both the teams again carried out practice in the evening on September 16.

He said that on September 17, the NZ team/government expressed concern over the reported credible threat and canceled the tour unilaterally without sharing the details of the threat while the next day, Interpol Wellington informed Interpol Islamabad about the receipt of a threatening email to the New Zealand Police from hamzaafridi7899@gmail.com at 06:25 am (NZ time), requesting further probe. He added that the New Zealand Police received the threatening email at 06:25 am on September 18, according to the Pakistan Standard Time 23:25 (11:25 pm on September 17).

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“India made this tour cancelled by purpose”, says Pakistan.

Fawad said the email hamzaafridi7899@gmail.com was generated at 18:10 hrs, Sep 17 (UTC); 2310 hrs/11:10 pm (PST). The email was sent 15 minutes after the ID was created and it was generated for a specific purpose. The email was sent from an associated device in India using a VPN showing the IP address/location of Singapore. The device RMX 1971 (Realme) used 13 email IDs; except Hamza Afridi, all other 12 email IDs have Indian/Hindi names. Apparently, Hamza Afridi was purposefully used to malign Pakistan, which hints at the involvement of Indian agencies.

He said the subject mobile phone was launched in August 2019 in India and the Reliance Jio mobile SIM was registered on this mobile phone on September 25, 2019, indicating a single user. He said that the social media co-relation and exploitation revealed that the possible use of this email ID is an Indian, Omprakash Mishra, from Mumbai.

The minister pointed out that the timing and text of the threat email suggested that this threat was not the reason for the cancellation of the tour but was issued just after the cancellation to malign Pakistan and substantiate the security concerns of New Zealand and other touring countries. He added that Abhinandan Mishra wrote another column on Sept 18 titled “Threat of Kabul Airport-like attack led NZ to cancel Pak tour”.

Fawad noted that another email, after the tour was canceled on September 17, was sent to the New Zealand team on September 17 at 11:25 pm PST, from an ID generated under the name Hamza Afridi. He said the Interpol Wellington intimated the Interpol Pakistan about the threat on September 18. The minister read out the email’s transcript: Dear New Zealand Cricket, you did wrong to go to Pakistan and now see what will happen to you. Your cricket team is not going anywhere now. In every place, the bombs will be placed now, from the hotel to your flight. My men will not forgive you, they are coming to New Zealand. Pakistan Zindabad, Allah hu Akbar.

With abandonment of series, many Pakistan Cricketers expressed their frustration due to New Zealand’s tour cancellation at the last moment.

The New Zealand cricket team on Friday cancelled their Pakistan tour at the last minute after receiving a security alert from its government. The two teams were set to face off in three ODIs and five T20Is. The first ODI was to take place at Rawalpindi on September 17, 3:00 PM IST.

While many former and current Pakistan cricketers slammed New Zealand for their sudden abandonment and expressed their disappointment of missing the exciting series, a few stood by New Zealand’s decision to protect their players first.

“Following an escalation in the New Zealand government threat levels for Pakistan, and advice from NZC security advisers on the ground, it has been decided the Black Caps will not continue with the tour,” stated NZC on its website. Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand prime minister who had a discussion with Prime Minister Imran Khan made sure that players safety is utmost important and thanked the Govt. of Pakistan for taking care of the New Zealand cricket team. The PCB expressed their frustration by calling a “unilateral” decision by New Zealand to postpone the series. While Shahid Afridi claimed the security alert a ‘joke’, Shoaib Akhtar on his twitter handle wrote – “NZ just killed Pakistan Cricket” along with angry emojis.

This was going to be New Zealand’s first international cricket series at Pakistan after 18 years but unfortunately, it had to be called off after citing security concerns. The PCB is willing to reschedule the matches but it won’t be happening anytime soon as the Kiwis are flying back home soon. Let us hope that the issue gets resolved quickly and cricket returns to Pakistan like the old days.

Preview

Pakistan vs New Zealand 1st ODI Match Prediction. The first match of the three-match ODI series between Pakistan and New Zealand is about to require place on Friday, Citizenship Day at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Daryl Mitchell, who was set to hitch for the T20Is, is going to be available from the second ODI onwards. Pakistan, in the meantime, has named a 12-man squad for the sport. the lads in Green lost their ODI and T20I series in England and it’s time for Babar Azam and his men to form a comeback.

Match Details

Match – Pakistan vs New Zealand – 1st ODI

Venue – Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Time – 03:00 PM IST, 02:30 PM Local

Where to watch live – Sony Six, Sony LIV

Pitch Report

The dig in Rawalpindi has been a sporting one over the years. the typical score at the venue in 24 ODIs is 243. Last year, Zimbabwe and Pakistan played during a tied ODI at an equivalent venue. Chasing should be a well-liked option.

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Weather Report

Conditions will mostly be sunny during the primary half of the sport. there’s no chance of rain also . The temperature is going to be around the 28-degree Celsius mark throughout the course of the match.

Pakistan vs New Zealand Playing 11

Pakistan Predicted Playing 11

Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Usman Qadir

New Zealand Predicted Playing 11

Rachin Ravindra, Finn Allen, Will Young, Colin de Grandhomme, Tom Latham (w/c), Henry Nicholls, Cole McConchie/Scott Kuggeleijn, Doug Bracewell, Ajaz Patel, Blair Tickner/Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry

Pakistan vs New Zealand key Players

Babar Azam–Pakistan

Babar Azam has been a support of the Pakistan batting in the restricted overs designs. The right-hander has respectable numbers against the Black Caps. In 11 matches, Azam has indented 415 runs at a normal of 41.50 with one century. In his past ODI against the Kiwis, Babar scored a century in a marvelous run-pursue at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Shaheen Shah Afridi-Pakistan

Shaheen Shah Afridi has been driving the Pakistan pace assault pretty productively over the most recent two years or somewhere in the vicinity. The left-armer has gotten 53 wickets from 28 ODIs with four-wicket takes and two five-wicket pulls. It stays not yet clear on the off chance that he can go through New Zealand’s batting unit in Friday’s match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

THE TEAM NEWS

PAKISTAN

• Despite facing a side missing almost everything of their full-strength side, Pakistan couldn’t cash in as they did not win a game within the series, even with skipper Babar Azam producing a sensational knock within the third and final game.
• Azam cemented his spot because the world’s best ODI batsman with a career-best 158 off just 139 balls to guide Pakistan to 331/9 but they might not defend that total and changes are made to the present squad as a result with four uncapped players in with an opportunity of debuting here including three exciting youngsters.

NEW ZEALAND

• New Zealand inherits this first tour of Pakistan in 18 years because of the world’s top-ranked ODI side but it’ll be far away from a full-strength side they field with numerous of their frontline players not participating.
• The Black Caps are without skipper Kane Williamson also because the likes of Ross Taylor and Trent Boult and their absence, in particular, are going to be difficult to beat with all three sitting within the top ten rankings for batting or bowling.
• Having named an under-strength squad, there are set to be many opportunities for fringe players to return to the side and build a case for more regular inclusion but the batting line-up especially looks very fragile.

Pakistan vs New Zealand Match Tips