New Zealand vs Pakistan – 1st T20 Match Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is New Zealand vs Pakistan taking place? Friday, December 18th, 2020 – 06:00 (UK)
Where is New Zealand vs Pakistan taking place? Eden Park, Auckland
What is the expected weather for New Zealand vs Pakistan? 17c with sunshine with cloudy intervals
What channel is New Zealand vs Pakistan on? The match will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream New Zealand vs Pakistan? The match will not be streamed live in the UK
Where can I get tickets for New Zealand vs Pakistan? Tickets for this match can be purchased here!
LAST MEETING
Pakistan beat New Zealand by 47 runs
THE TEAM NEWS
NEW ZEALAND
- New Zealand are coming off a 2-0 series win over West Indies in the shortest format of the game but they will be expecting a tougher test against Pakistan who have beaten them in their last five meetings.
- They are weakened for this opening T20 match as Kane Williamson will only return from paternity leave for the second match while Lockie Ferguson is injured and they have dropped the under-performing star veteran Ross Taylor.
- Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson and Daryl Mitchell will all miss this opening game as they are rested following the second Test with West Indies so pace bowler Blair Tickner, batsman Mark Chapman and allrounder Doug Bracewell will stay with the squad for this opener before they reassess where they are at.
PAKISTAN
- Pakistan return to T20 action having played eight matches in this format in 2020 and having won six of those with one defeat and one no result and they come off series wins over Bangladesh and Zimbabwe while they drew 1-1 with England in the summer.
- They were dealt a blow ahead of this series as skipper and star batsman Babar Azam has broken his right thumb in training and is ruled out for this series so that will likely see veteran Mohammad Hafeez come into the side.
- The bowling attack remains strong with Shaheen Shah Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Haris Rauf and Imad Wasim leading the way but they may well be without Shadab Khan once again due to an ongoing groin problem so his participation remains in doubt.
THE PREDICTION
This T20 series will be a fascinating match at the high-scoring venues in New Zealand but both teams are hampered by various absentees coming into this opening game. The hosts especially are severely weakened as several players are rested after the conclusion of the West Indies test match while skipper Kane Williamson is on paternity leave. The tourists are without Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq who both have broken bones while Shadab Khan is a major doubt. It is the tourists however who are least disrupted and they have shown that they mean business in this format of the game once again this year. On a pitch that should be favourable to the batsmen, the hosts are marginally favoured due to their knowledge of the conditions and even with the absentees, they have enough depth to score big and defend it with the bowlers they have available. Without Babar Azam, Pakistan do look a little short in the batting order and a home win is marginally favoured.
