[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]Pakistan and New Zealand will play a five-match one-day series in Rawalpindi beginning on Thursday in preparation for the World Cup.
The series gives both teams the opportunity to assess each other’s advantages and disadvantages prior to the World Cup in India in October-November.
Despite missing eight players, including captain Kane Williamson, due to current Indian Premier League injuries, the Black Caps stunned the host team by tying a previous five-match Twenty20 series 2-2.
🏆 reveal for DAFANEWS Presents KFC Pakistan vs New Zealand ODI Series 2023 ✨#PAKvNZ | #CricketMubarak pic.twitter.com/TNf4vlXTj8
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) April 26, 2023
Under interim captain Tom Latham, New Zealand expertly adjusted to the circumstances, winning the third and fifth games after falling behind 2-0. The fourth game was postponed due to weather.
Mark Chapman, a middle-order batsman, has been named to the ODI team after scoring 290 runs in a five-match T20I series with only one dismissal.
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Middle-order hitter Henry Nicholls and wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell, who was recently named one of Wisden’s top five cricketers of the year, have also joined the squad.
According to Latham, whose team is ranked second in the ODI rankings after Australia, “it’s a new format and we have to adapt quickly for this challenging series.”
Babar Azam, the world’s top-ranked ODI batter for the last two years, will be the focal point for Pakistan, which is in fifth place.
“These five games are critical for our World Cup preparation,” Azam says.
“We will use the eight ODIs and the Asia Cup (to prepare), and we will be well prepared,” the team stated.
Azam has led Pakistan to victories in five of the last seven One-Day International (ODI) series. He lost to England in 2021 and New Zealand in January of this year.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
