On Monday, Pakistan will play New Zealand in the first of three one-day internationals at the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi.
Despite playing on home soil, Pakistan will be slight underdogs, owing to their poor performance in the recently concluded two-match series.
New Zealand, on the other hand, will enter the series as slight favourites, especially after impressive performances in the five-day format.
The match will be historic because it will be the first time the teams have met in Pakistan in more than 19 years.
Both teams have met 107 times in ODI history, with the Green Caps holding a slight advantage with 55 victories to the Black Caps’ 48. One match ended in a tie, while three others did not produce a result.
The 1st ODI between Pakistan vs New Zealand will take place on January 9th, 2023 at National Stadium, Karachi.
Match Details to Note
Match: Pakistan vs New Zealand, 1st ODI, New Zealand Tour of Pakistan 2022-2023
Date: January 09, 2023 (Monday)
Time: 3:00 PM IST
Venue: National Stadium, Karachi
Pakistan vs New Zealand
Pakistan (Match Odds – 1.75):
Preview:
An interim selection committee led by former Pakistan captain and star all-rounder Shahid Afridi announced the team for this series.
The team included some new faces, while key players such as Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi were unable to participate due to various injuries.
Tayyab Tahir, Kamran Ghulam, and Usama Mir, among others, have been named to the squad following strong performances in the recently concluded Pakistan Cup.
Another surprising inclusion is left-handed batter Haris Sohail, who has not played a 50-over international match since October 2020, and it will be interesting to see if he can impress in his first outing at that level.
There will also be some pressure on wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, who recently lost his place in the Test playing XI to Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Multan Sultans fans and team management will be hoping for the Multan Sultans captain to start delivering with the bat.
The onus will be on captain Babar Azam, in-form top-order batter Imam-ul-Haq, explosive Fakhar Zaman, Haris, Salman Ali Agha, and Rizwan to score the majority of the runs.
On the bowling front, pacers Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr, as well as spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Usama Mir, will be expected to produce timely breakthroughs.
Full Squad:
Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Shan Masood, Agha Salman, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Usama Mir, Haris Sohail
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Players to watch out for:
Babar Azam
The skipper is a fantastic all-rounder who scored four centuries in five ODI innings from July 2021 to June 2022.
Mohammad Rizwan
The keeper-batter recently lost his Test place, and we expect him to come out with a determined attitude to prove his worth in this format.
Haris Rauf
Despite missing the majority of the Tests against England and New Zealand due to injury, the quick bowler has an excellent international white ball record.
Possible Playing XI:
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan(wk), Shan Masood, Imam-ul-Haq, Haris Sohail, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Wasim Jnr., Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
New Zealand (Match Odds – 2.10):
Preview:
The Black Caps will rely on captain Kane Williamson, top-order batters Finn Allen and Devon Conway, all-rounder Daryl Mitchell, left-handed batter Henry Nicholls, Tom Latham, and Glen Phillips to score the majority of the runs and put pressure on the home team.
On the bowling front, pacers Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, and Tim Southee, as well as spinners Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi, will be expected to produce timely breakthroughs.
Full Squad:
Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson(c), Tom Latham(w), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Blair Tickner, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Michael Bracewell, Henry Nicholls, Henry Shipley, Jacob Duffy
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Players to watch out for:
Tom Latham
The keeper-batter hit 145 not out in his last ODI against India in late November, his highest ODI score.
Kane Williamson
The former Test captain continues to lead in this format, averaging 47.68 from 150 ODI innings. Throughout the Test series, he was in top form.
Tim Southee
Although the pitches and conditions aren’t usually conducive to swing bowling, Southee will pose a significant threat if he can bowl in humid conditions in the second half of the match.
Possible Playing XI:
Kane Williamson (captain), Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Glenn Phillips, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi
Pakistan vs New Zealand Top Team Batsmen
Our batting picks for Pakistan are Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, and Fakhar Zaman. Azam is the favourite to score first and rarely looks troubled, especially at home and at international level. Fakhar has a high score of 210 in this format.
Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, and Tom Latham are our bat-first picks for New Zealand. Williamson has been remarkably consistent for his country across all formats. Conway has an ODI batting average of 42.50 from 11 innings.
Pakistan vs New Zealand Top Team Bowlers
Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim, and Mohammad Nawaz are our ball picks for Pakistan. Rauf bowled brilliantly for Pakistan in white ball cricket in 2022, and we expect him to do so again in this game. Nawaz has the best ODI figures of 4-19.
Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, and Mitchell Santner are our bowling picks for New Zealand. Ferguson’s pace will cause problems for top batters, and he will bowl full and short on this pitch. Santner will get through his overs quickly and will have plenty of variations to trouble Pakistan’s batters.
Pakistan vs New Zealand Head to Head
In this format of the game, these two countries have been very evenly matched over the years, with Pakistan holding a narrow seven-game lead after 107 matches.
Pakistan vs New Zealand Head to Head Stats in ODIs
| Matches Played | PAK Won | NZ Won | Tie | NR | |
| Overall | 107 | 55 | 48 | 1 | 3 |
Pakistan vs New Zealand Toss Prediction
Both teams will be eager to win the toss, bat first, and post a competitive total. The fact that the home team has won the previous two one-day matches played at this venue will give them hope.
Pakistan vs New Zealand Pitch Report
The first One-Day International (ODI) between Pakistan and New Zealand will be played at the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi.
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Traditionally, the Karachi wicket will be full of runs for the batsmen. To get wickets on this surface, bowlers will need to execute their lengths well. The weather forecast for the game is sunny intervals with a light breeze.
Pakistan vs New Zealand Prediction
Although the Test series ended in a stalemate, the final game was still undecided heading into the final over before bad light intervened. The two teams are extremely well matched, and we anticipate a close series as well as a close opening game. Pakistan has the advantage of playing at home, and their batters have all scored a lot of runs in ODIs on these pitches. Our prediction is that Pakistan will win. Check out the odds at Cricbaba!
Pakistan is the favourite to beat New Zealand at the odds of 1.75.
Pakistan vs New Zealand Most Recommended Player for Bet:
Babar Azam, Pakistan’s captain, has an average of 59.79 from 90 innings in this format. As their leading run scorer in this match, he is well worth backing. Babar Azam had an outstanding 2022 in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. We recommend that you support him in this match.
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