Pakistan to face a New Zealand XI in a warm-up fixture

Pakistan, of late, have enjoyed immense success in limited-overs cricket. And a majority of the credit is owed to their wicketkeeper-captain Sarfraz Ahmed. The gloveman has done a brilliant job behind the stumps, which saw the Men in Green win the Champions Trophy earlier this year by defeating arch-rivals India in the finale.

The Pakistan team will now face Oceania opponents New Zealand in a limited-over affair. The team from the subcontinent will play 5 ODIs and 3 T20Is slated to be played between January 6 and 28. The first match will be played at the Basin Reserve.

However, prior to that, to prepare for the challenge Pakistan will face New Zealand XI in a 50-over warm-up game to get acclimatized to the Kiwi conditions. The match is scheduled to be played at Saxton Oval in Nelson on Wednesday, January 3.

Meanwhile, Kiwi selector Gavin Larsen has kept an open mind and believes the Black Caps will face an uphill task in the upcoming series against Pakistan. According to geotv, Larsen was quoted saying, “Pakistan  having won the recent ICC Champions Trophy and are a formidable One Day team.”

He added, “Their pace bowling attack is one of the best in the world and they have a number of match winners throughout their side. The NZ XI have a big challenge ahead of them, but it’s a great opportunity to test themselves against world class opposition.“

Pakistan to miss the services of Junaid Khan and Imad Wasim

The Pakistan batting lineup also has got a major depth after the arrival of Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf. Playing against the Kiwis in foreign condition would be a challenge, but the team looks all prepared for it. However, the loss of speedster Junaid Khan and spinner Imad Wasim will take a toll on Pakistan’s imperial bowling attack.

New Zealand XI squad

Fraser Colson (C), James Baker, Michael Barry, Ben Beecroft, Mark Craig, Jack Boyle, Michael Davidson, Lachie Johns (wk), Matt McEwan, Aniket Parikh, Bharat Popli, Michael Rae.