Kane Williamson, right handed bat, comes to the crease

Shaheen Afridi to Conway, out Caught by Aamer Jamal!! Out first ball!! A full delivery angling outside off, Conway goes for a drive but can't control it well. Wanted to get it square and along the ground, but spoons it straight to short cover. Conway c Aamer Jamal b Shaheen Afridi 0(1)

Shaheen Afridi to Conway, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Shaheen Afridi to Finn Allen, 1 run, yorker length delivery on off with a tinge of inswing. Pushed out softly to mid-off to get going

Finn Allen and Conway are at the crease. Finn Allen is on strike. Shaheen Afridi will open the attack

A sunny evening in Auckland as Shaheen Shah leads his team out. Conway and Finn Allen dash out towards the pitch as well.

Teams:

New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway(w), Kane Williamson(c), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears

Pakistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan(w), Aamer Jamal, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi(c), Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf

Pakistan have won the toss and have opted to field

17:19 Local Time, 05:19 GMT, 10:49 IST: It’s a new year and it is time to say goodbye to the old and in with the new. Pakistan has a new captain in Shaheen Afridi, and a new deputy in Rizwan as Babar Azam has been liberated from those responsibilities. The first test for skipper Shaheen is a five game away series against New Zealand, as Pakistan try to restore some pride after a 3-0 drubbing in the Tests against Australia. They’ll be a lot more confident in this format, having made it to the finals in 2022 and the semis the year earlier. New Zealand on the other hand were off colour in the home series against Bangladesh, but will feel rejuvenated by the return of Kane Williamson, Devon Conway and Matt Henry. The toss isn't too far away, so hang around...

Preview

The revamp post the World Cup hasn't really gone according to plan so far for Pakistan as they failed to win a Test match in Australia once again. However, in T20 cricket they are going to feel a lot more confident given how they have fared in recent years. They had a stellar campaign in the 2021 T20 World Cup, making it to the semifinals and went one step ahead in 2022. A disappointing ODI World Cup in India has brought about changes in the leadership and there is a cause for excitement now with Shaheen Afridi taking charge.

One of the leading fast bowlers in the world, Shaheen has led his PSL side to back-to-back titles, thus earning this opportunity to lead the national side with another T20 World Cup around the corner. Mohammad Rizwan has been named his deputy, thus freeing up Babar Azam completely. The series will also provide Pakistan a great opportunity to test some of the inexperienced players they have picked in the squad. Saim Ayub hasn't made the greatest of starts to his international career but there is definitely potential as witnessed in the CPL. Aamer Jamal impressed in the Tests in Australia and could be handed an opportunity to add to his T20 caps now.

The bowling department looks strong especially with Haris Rauf returning. New Zealand will also be wary of Zaman Khan, who they faced last year. In his short BBL stint, Zaman impressed by picking eight wickets in four games and will be raring to go now. For the hosts, Kane Williamson returns to the T20 scene having not featured for the national side in this format for over a year. New Zealand did look scrappy against Bangladesh and given Pakistan are a much stronger opposition in this format, the hosts will have their task cut out.

When: January 12, 2024 at 12.40 PM IST, 7:10 PM local time

Where: Eden Park, Auckland

What to expect: The last time a T20I was played at this venue, Sri Lanka and New Zealand played out a high-scoring tie which was eventually decided by a Super Over. But just days prior to that game, Sri Lanka were bowled out for a paltry 76 at the same venue. Clear skies are expected on match day.

Team News

New Zealand

The focus will be on Matt Henry who is making his return after getting injured midway through the ODI World Cup. Devon Conway, who was rested for the Bangladesh series, is expected to take his spot back.

Probable XI: Devon Conway (wk), Finn Allen, Kane Williamson (C), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Adam Milne

Pakistan

While the focus will be on the new skipper Shaheen, Pakistan have picked quite a few players who are inexperienced at this level and it will be interesting to see how many of them get an opportunity in the opening game.

Probable XI: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Aamer Jamal, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi (C), Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan/Mohammad Wasim Jr

Squads:

Pakistan Squad: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Aamer Jamal, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi(c), Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abrar Ahmed, Sahibzada Farhan, Abbas Afridi, Haseebullah Khan

New Zealand Squad: Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Kane Williamson(c), Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Tim Seifert(w), Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Adam Milne,Ben Sears