Toss Pakistan opt to bat vs New Zealand

The hosts are much changed from the side that lost 2-1 to Afghanistan in Sharjah. Babar and Mohammad Rizwan return to the top of the order, while Mohammad Haris drops to the bench. Haris Rauf, rested for that series, returns to the line-up alongside his Lahore Qalandars team-mates Zaman Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi. There was no place for Ihsanullah as well in the playing XI.

Pakistan and New Zealand play five T20Is. The first three will be staged in Lahore, with the two teams travelling to Rawalpindi for the final two T20Is.

Pakistan Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan

New Zealand: Tom Latham (capt & wk), Chad Bowes, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Ben Lister