Pakistan vs New Zealand 1st ODI Preview & Prediction

These will be Pakistan's first matches in this format since August. New Zealand last played an ODI against India in late November.

Pakistan recently had an excellent record in this format, but New Zealand will be their most formidable ODI opponent since they beat Australia in March last year. They will be confident ahead of this opening match.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is what Happened when Pakkistan and New Zealand last met in an ODI.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvNZ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvNZ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvPAK?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvPAK</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BabarAzam%F0%93%83%B5?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BabarAzam𓃵</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BabarAzam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BabarAzam</a><a href="https://t.co/Hy6Sw31Gsm">pic.twitter.com/Hy6Sw31Gsm</a></p>&mdash; Zeeshan Qayyum (@XeeshanQayyum) <a href="https://twitter.com/XeeshanQayyum/status/1612117333568540672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

New Zealand should not be written off in any format, especially not in ODIs. They have reached the last two ODI World Cup finals and won their previous series against India.

Pakistan Players to watch

1. Babar Azam averages 59.79 from 90 innings in this format. It is worth betting on him as he is the best-run scorer in this game

2. Haris Rauf has the best ODI figures of 4-65 and is our pick for Pakistan's best wicket-taker against New Zealand.

New Zealand players to watch

1. Tom Latham has scored seven ODI hundreds, and the left-hander is a good pick for New Zealand's top run scorer in this match.

2. Tim Southee reached his 200th ODI wicket in the last series and the experienced swing bowler is our favourite for the best wicket for New Zealand in this ODI.

Match Prediction

Our prediction is for a Pakistani to win. Pakistan have the advantage of home conditions, and their batters have all scored plenty of ODI runs on these pitches. 

Top Picks

Babar Azam

Haris Rauf

Tom Latham

Tim Southee

Pitch Report

In this game, we anticipate a par score of between 300 and 320. There will be low, skiddy bounce, but the spinners will also get some turn.

Team Squad

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Haris Sohail, Agha Salman, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usama Mir.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Henry Nicholls, Michael Bracewell, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Tom Latham, Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Henry Shipley