CHRISTCHURCH: Pakistan will have another go at testing their emerging resources when they take on New Zealand in the five-match Twenty20 International series, which starts at the Hagley Oval on Sunday.

Following their group-stage ouster from the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy, Pakistan decided to pick a host of youngsters for the series and gave Salman Ali Agha the charge to lead in place of regular captain Mohammad Rizwan.

In a press conference before the team headed to New Zealand, Salman said Pakistan would look to play a modern brand of cricket which would feature the intent to attack from the outset.

Seemingly, Pakistan want to instill the mindset in a new group of players, which include the uncapped likes of batters Abdul Samad and Hassan Nawaz and pacer Mohammad Ali.

Former vice captain Shadab Khan is also back for Pakistan, while once in-favour batter Mohammad Haris also returns for the side along with the likes of Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Irfan Khan and Omair Bin Yousuf.

The Pakistan squad arrived in Christchurch on Thursday and held their first training session on Friday afternoon. Before their arrival, the T20I squad underwent a pre-series camp from March 7-10 at the LCCA ground in Lahore.

Jahandad, who came to prominence after decent performances in last year’s National T20 Cup and the following season of the Pakistan Super League, said the team was looking forward to beating New Zealand.

“It had been a good practice session after a long travel,” he said of the team’s only training session ahead of the opening match on Friday.

“The team’s morale is high given most players are young and upcoming. It is always tough playing away from home and it would be great if we could beat them in their own conditions.

“I’ve practiced hard for this opportunity, I’ve been playing cricket for a while and done well in domestic cricket. I’ll try to win matches for Pakistan and standout.”

Pakistan have an upper hand over New Zealand in the 44 T20I contests between the two sides with 23 wins while the Black Caps have secured victory in 19 fixtures.

The last T20I series featuring the two sides, which was played in Pakistan in 2024, finished with a 2-2 scoreline with one match abandoned due to rain.

Salman, who led the team to a 2-1 T20I series win in Zimbabwe in his first series as captain, said: “The team’s preparations are going well, and we will try to produce better results in New Zealand. We have some young players in the side, and it is an opportunity for them to showcase their talent at the international level after performing well in domestic cricket.”

The second match will be played at University Oval in Dunedin March 18, while the third match of the series will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on March 21. The fourth and fifth T20Is will be played at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui and Sky Stadium in Wellington on March 23 and 26, respectively.

A three-match ODI series will follow the T20I action and will be played from March 29 to April 5.

Squads:

PAKISTAN: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousaf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan

NEW ZEALAND: Michael Bracewell (captain), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes (matches 4-5), Mitch Hay, Matt Henry (matches 4-5), Kyle Jamieson (matches 1-3), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Will O’Rourke (matches 1-3), Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2025