New Zealand elect to bat against Pakistan in Lahore ODI

LAHORE: New Zealand opted to bat first after winning the toss against Pakistan in the first match of the ODI tri-nation series at the newly revamped Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday.

Mitchell Santner, the Kiwis captain, said the reason to elect bat is to set a target on a pitch that appears as flat as ODI pitches have been in Pakistan in recent times.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to get a look at these surfaces before the Champions Trophy,” Santner said at the toss.

Meanwhile, the host skipper Mohammad Rizwan said he would have batted first, too, and announced that Babar Azam would open the batting alongside Fakhar Zaman.

That will be the first time Babar will be opening in an ODI since 2015.

Pakistan goes in with three seamers — Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah — and Abrar Ahmed as the only frontline spinner, with Khushdil Shah returning to the middle order.

The match is the opening fixture of a tri-nation series featuring hosts Pakistan, along with New Zealand and South Africa. It will be played from February 8 to 14 at the newly constructed Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and National Bank Stadium in Karachi.

Pakistan XI: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Abrar Ahmed.

New Zealand XI: Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Ben Sears, Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke.