RAWALPINDI
\nPakistan\u2019s preparations for the ICC Men\u2019s Cricket World Cup 2023 will begin on Thursday when they will take on New Zealand in the first of the five One-Day Internationals.
\nThe series will commence at the iconic Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, which will also host the second ODI on Saturday before the two teams will fly south for the remaining three matches in Karachi.
\nThe two sides will enter the series after an exciting five-match T20 International series that ended in a 2-2 draw on Monday. That well-fought series promises equally competitive and exciting five matches for which both sides have added a player each. Pakistan has added wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris and New Zealand has included Mark Chapman, whose extraordinary batting efforts in the T20Is earned him Player of the Series award.
\nIn addition to this series and in the lead-up to the World Cup, which will be held in October\/November, Pakistan is also scheduled to play three ODIs against Afghanistan in August and September\u2019s ACC Men\u2019s Asia Cup. As such, this series comes with the vital opportunity to gather the momentum.
\nBoth Pakistan and New Zealand have qualified directly for the ICC Men\u2019s Cricket World Cup 2023 after finishing in the top eight of the 13-team ICC Men\u2019s Cricket World Cup Super League. New Zealand topped the Super League with 16 wins in 24 matches, while Pakistan finished fifth with 13 wins in 21 matches. Pakistan\u2019s series against Afghanistan was mutually postponed after both sides were assured of places in the event proper.
\nPakistan\u2019s record since the start of last year has also been a remarkable one. They enjoy a win-loss ratio of 3, which is the best for any side. During this period, they have beaten Australia (2-1), West Indies (3-0) and the Netherlands (3-0) before losing to New Zealand (2-1) earlier in the year in Karachi.
\n\u201cEach and every match that we play from now on holds a great significance for us. This series is a brilliant opportunity for us to fine-tune our combinations and gather the momentum ahead of the mega events in the shape of the Asia Cup and the much-anticipated World Cup,\u201d Pakistan captain Babar Azam said while commenting on the series\u2019 significance.
\n\u201cThis team has done well in the past one year in the one-day format and I have firm faith in my boys that they will perform according to expectations in the exciting next seven months.\u201d
\nNew Zealand captain Tom Latham: \u201cThe T20Is proved an outstanding series and we\u2019re looking forward to switching to one-day mode now. The preparation wasn\u2019t ideal but for us, that wasn\u2019t an excuse. It was about just keep getting the better game from the game and keep learning. We did that and to come out with a series draw after being two down was awesome.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a tough ODI series on the back of what this T20I series has produced. We have seen some great games of cricket and the one-day series is going to be no different.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a new format, and we have to adapt quickly. Hopefully we can do that straight away.\u201d
\nThursday\u2019s match will be the first between the two sides at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in 20 years. In 2003, New Zealand played two ODIs and lost both by seven wickets and 49 runs. A year earlier, Pakistan had defeated New Zealand by three wickets. Overall, Pakistan enjoys a healthy 18-5 on head-to-head on home soil.
\nOn the ICC ODI Team Rankings, fifth-ranked Pakistan has a chance to move to the top of the table. However, to make it happen, they will have to win all five matches against the second-ranked New Zealand. A 4-1 series win will lift Pakistan to third.
\nIn the ICC ODI Player Rankings, Pakistan captain Babar Azam is the No.1 ranked batter. He is sitting on 887 rating points and has a chance to break the 900-point threshold, which is the hallmark of a great batter. Zaheer Abbas (931) and Javed Miandad (910) are the only two Pakistan batters who have previously achieved ratings of 900 or more.
\nSquads:
\nPakistan \u2013 Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usama Mir.
\nNew Zealand \u2013 Tom Latham (captain), Adam Milne, Ben Lister, Blair Tickner, Chad Bowes, Cole McConchie, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Jimmy Neesham, Mark Chapman, Matt Henry, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell and Will Young Series schedule (all matches begin at 3:30 pm).
\n27 Apr \u2013 First ODI, Rawalpindi. Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field), Rashid Riaz (third umpire), Faisal Afridi (fourth umpire); Chris Broad (match referee).
\n29 Apr \u2013 Second ODI, Rawalpindi. Aleem Dar and Rashid Riaz (on-field), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Asif Yaqoob (fourth umpire); Chris Broad (match referee).
\n3 May \u2013 Third ODI, Karachi. Langton Rusere and Faisal Afridi (on-field), Joel Wilson (third umpire), Rashid Riaz (fourth umpire); Chris Broad (match referee).
\n5 May \u2013 Fourth ODI, Karachi. Joel Wilson and Asif Yaqoob (on-field), Langton Rusere (third umpire), Faisal Afridi (fourth umpire); Chris Broad (match referee).
\n7 May \u2013 Fifth ODI, Karachi. Langton Rusere and Rashid Riaz (on-field), Joel Wilson (third umpire), Asif Yaqoob (fourth umpire); Chris Broad (match referee).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RAWALPINDI Pakistan\u2019s preparations for the ICC Men\u2019s Cricket World Cup 2023 will begin on Thursday when they will take on New Zealand in the first of the five One-Day Internationals. The series will commence at the iconic Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, which will also host the second ODI on Saturday before the two teams will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-327781","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n