Having aborted the tour of Pakistan at the eleventh hour in September 2021 citing security concerns, the New Zealand team have finally arrived in the country to compensate for the aborted tour, and are set to play a five-match T20I and ODI series each.
Set to begin tomorrow with the shortest format, the first T20I between the two sides will take place at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Coming on the back of an unprecedented T20I series loss against Afghanistan of-late while fielding a young, inexperienced side, Pakistan are back with the senior pros under the leadership of their regular skipper Babar Azam.
Left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi is also back to the fold, having last played for Pakistan during the T20 World Cup 2022 final against England. The experience of Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf and Fakhar Zaman will further bolster the strength of the Pakistan side.
New Zealand, on the other hand, are very much short in experience comparatively. A host of their experienced players including Kane Williamson, Tim Southee, Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Devon Conway, Finn Allen, and Lockie Ferguson have been handed the clearance to participate in the ongoing season of the IPL.
The side will be led by Southpaw batter Tom Lathan, with the likes of Jimmy Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Ish Sodhi, Adam Milne being the few experienced names in the squad.
Gaddafi Stadium Lahore Pitch Report for PAK vs NZ 1st T20I
The Gaddafi Stadium last hosted the grand finale of PSL 2023 between the Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans the previous month, and it turned out to be a nail-biting, high-scoring contest, with both the sides collectively scoring 399 runs across 40 Overs.
The fresh pitch tomorrow, is yet again expected to be a belter for the batters, who will enjoy the even bounce off the deck and play their strokes through the line.
The average score during the nine PSL matches this season at this venue was 173.2 runs. The pacers are likely to get some assistance with the swinging new ball, but other than that they, along with the spinners would have to mix their lengths up and make use of the variations in pace to prevent getting smashed.
All in all, expect a high-scoring contest tomorrow night in Lahore.
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