Pakistan and New Zealand will kick off the much-anticipated Tri-Nation series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 8. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and chose to bat first in the series opener.
At the toss, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan confirmed that Babar Azam will open the innings. New Zealand, meanwhile, left out Devon Conway from their playing XI. The Tri-Series will help all three teams—Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa—fine-tune their strategies ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy.
The tournament follows a round-robin format, with each team playing once against the others. The top two teams will then advance to the final.
New Zealand vs Pakistan 1st ODI: Playing XIs
Pakistan XI: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (c), Agha Salman (vc), Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
New Zealand XI: Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Ben Sears, William O’Rourke.
Captains’ Comments
Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan): “This is a great chance to prepare for the Champions Trophy. Though we don’t have a match here in the tournament, if we reach the semi-final, we will play at this venue. Babar Azam will open, and we are fielding a balanced side with four frontline bowlers and all-rounders in the middle order. Chasing or batting first doesn’t matter—we just want to win and be ready for the Champions Trophy.”
Mitchell Santner (New Zealand): “We are batting first. The pitch looks good and shouldn’t change much. We had a rough outing the other night, so we want to put up a strong total and put pressure on Pakistan. This tri-series is crucial for us and South Africa to understand the conditions before the Champions Trophy. Our squad includes three pacers and four spinners, providing good balance.”
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