After a disappointing outing in the Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan now head to New Zealand for a white-ball tour featuring five T20Is and three One-Day Internationals.
With the T20 World Cup scheduled for next year and the Asia Cup set to take place later this year, Pakistan have opted for a young T20I squad led by newly-appointed captain Salman Ali Agha.
Pakistan will be without Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman due to injury, but they have included three uncapped players – Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Ali – who earned call-ups to the national side after impressing in recent domestic events.
“We have some young players in the side, and it is an opportunity for them to showcase their talent at the international level after performing well in domestic cricket,” Salman Agha told PCB as quoted by ICC.
Salman Ali Agha, who led Pakistan to a 2-1 series win against Zimbabwe in his debut series as captain, expressed confidence ahead of the New Zealand tour.
“The team’s preparations are going well, and we will try to produce better results in New Zealand,” he said.
In 44 T20I matches between the two sides, Pakistan hold the edge with 23 wins, while New Zealand have won 19 encounters. The last time they faced each other in a T20I series was in 2024, just before the T20 World Cup, which ended in a 2-2 stalemate.
T20I Squad – Salman Ali Agha (c), Shadab Khan, Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousaf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan.