The New Zealand cricket team will resume their white-ball action Friday, December 18, when they welcome Pakistan in a three-match T20I series at Eden Park.
Coming at the back of a T20I as well as a Test series win against the West Indies, the Kiwis will look to continue their fine form against a Pakistan side that is equally profound in the shortest format. They come to New Zealand after having won all of their T20Is against Zimbabwe in November.
The first match of New Zealand vs Pakistan T20I series will see the absence of their regular captains. But while Kane Williamson will be back for the remaining two fixtures, Babar Azam will miss the entire series after suffering a fracture in his right thumb during.
In other developments, veteran batsman Ross Taylor was dropped from New Zealand’s T20I squad, but a certain Trent Boult might mark his return. Meanwhile, the biggest miss will be that of Lockie Ferguson, who has been ruled out for upto six weeks with a partial stress fracture to his lumbar spine.
New Zealand vs Pakistan T20I full squads
New Zealand T20I squad for first game: Mitchell Santner (c), Todd Astle, Doug Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner
New Zealand T20I squad for second and third game: Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee
Pakistan T20I squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Shoaib Malik, Hussain Talat, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Babar Azam, Waqas Maqsood, Faheem Ashraf, Asif Ali.
New Zealand vs Pakistan T20 Series Full Schedule
Dec 18, Friday: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 1st T20I Eden Park, Auckland- 11.30 am
Dec 20, Sunday: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 2nd T20I Seddon Park, Hamilton- 11.30 am
Dec 22, Tuesday: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 3rd T20I Mclean Park, Napier – 11.30 am
Where to watch New Zealand vs Pakistan T20I series live?
Unfortunately, no channel in India will telecast the New Zealand vs Pakistan T20I series. Fans in Pakistan, however, can enjoy the action on PTV Sports. Viewers from India, on the other hand, can watch New Zealand vs Pakistan live stream on the FanCode app or the website.
SportsAdda will bring you New Zealand vs Pakistan live scores here.
For New Zealand vs Pakistan odds and betting, visit Sportsbet.io and look for New Zealand vs Pakistan T20I series.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Paul Ellis
