Pakistan and New Zealand are set to faceoff in the first T20I of the three-match series in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. The Men in Green will go into the series full of confidence after registering an impressive 3-0 rout of Australia in their last assignment in the 20-over format.
In the batting department, the team will be relying on in-form Babar Azam to lead from the front, more so in the absence of his regular opening partner Fakhar Zaman, who will miss the first game due to injury. In the bowling department, the onus will be on spin duo of Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan to deliver the knockout punch to the opposition.
On the other hand, the Black Caps will be coming into this series having played no international cricket over the last seven months. In the batting department, the team will be heavily relying on captain Kane Williamson and veteran middle-order batsman Ross Taylor to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the team management will be hoping pacers Tim Southee and Adam Milne will provide early breakthroughs.
Shiekh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi is a place which is common for international cricket, hosting 81 T20I matches, the last of which was between Pakistan and Australia a week ago, when Sarfraz Ahmed-led unit emerged victorious by 66 runs. Highest score at the venue in T20Is of 225-7 was registered by Ireland in the match against Afghanistan in 2013-14, whereas the lowest score of 87 was
Pakistan and New Zealand are set to faceoff in the first T20I of the three-match series in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. The Men in Green will go into the series full of confidence after registering an impressive 3-0 rout of Australia in their last assignment in the 20-over format.
In the batting department, the team will be relying on in-form Babar Azam to lead from the front, more so in the absence of his regular opening partner Fakhar Zaman, who will miss the first game due to injury. In the bowling department, the onus will be on spin duo of Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan to deliver the knockout punch to the opposition.
On the other hand, the Black Caps will be coming into this series having played no international cricket over the last seven months. In the batting department, the team will be heavily relying on captain Kane Williamson and veteran middle-order batsman Ross Taylor to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the team management will be hoping pacers Tim Southee and Adam Milne will provide early breakthroughs.
Shiekh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi is a place which is common for international cricket, hosting 81 T20I matches, the last of which was between Pakistan and Australia a week ago, when Sarfraz Ahmed-led unit emerged victorious by 66 runs. Highest score at the venue in T20Is of 225-7 was registered by Ireland in the match against Afghanistan in 2013-14, whereas the lowest score of 87 was registered by Hong Kong in the match against Oman in 2016-17.
Key Players:
Kane Williamson – 10 Cr
First in the list of key players features New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. The 28-year-old is the mainstay in Black Caps batting lineup for quite some time now and the team management will be expecting similar kind of performances from him in this series as well. Valued at 10 Cr, Williamson can prove to be an ideal player for your team as his record suggests that he is very consistent in every form of the game. In the T20I format, Williamson averages 31.33 in 49 innings, which includes eight half-centuries.
Ish Sodhi – 9 Cr
Second in the list of key players features New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi. The 25-year-old will be leading the spin attack of the visitors in the upcoming series and the team management will have high hopes from him. Valued at 9 Cr, Sodhi might prove to be an excellent acquisition as he has an impressive record in T20Is, especially in Asia, where he has 15 wickets to his name in just eight matches at average of 12.86 and economy-rate of 6.50.
Babar Azam – 10.5 Cr
Last in the list features Pakistan's in-form batsman Babar Azam. The 24-year-old is in great touch and has recently reclaimed the top position in the ICC T20I rankings after winning the player of the series award in the series against Australia. Valued at 10.5 Cr, Azam is the player to have in your team as he holds an astonishing record in the T20Is, averaging 56.56 in 23 matches for the Men in Green, which includes seven half-centuries as well.
