New Zealand v Pakistan betting tips, prediction & odds; 1st T20 International preview

Babar Azam is in doubt for the first test against New zealand.

Welcome to our New Zealand v Pakistan betting tips, prediction and odds analysis for the first T20 International being played at Eden Park, Auckland, on Friday night, December 18. 

This is the first of three T20s before New Zealand and Pakistan will square off in two Test matches, with the first of those starting at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, on Boxing Day, December 26.

Bookmakers have made New Zealand short-priced favourites to win the series opener at $1.50, with Pakistan the $2.60 outsiders.

Pakistan have won the past five T20 Internationals between these teams, including by 48 runs at this ground in their 2-1 series win in New Zealand in 2017-18. In the overall head-to-head standings, the Pakistanis lead 13-8.

The Blacks Caps have an imposing home record in Test cricket in recent years, but before their recent 2-0 T20 series win against struggling West Indies, they had lost seven times in a row at home in the shortest format, against England then India 5-0.


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Pakistan have been dealt a blow with their captain Babar Azam, the No.2-ranked batsmen in the world in T20s, suffering a broken thumb at training. He will miss all three T20s and is in some doubt for the first Test.

Rising leg-spinner Shadab Khan has also been struggling to recover from a groin injury. Khan is the potential stand-in captain for Pakistan but is not rated a certainty to play in the first match.

New Zealand have dropped veteran batsman Ross Taylor from their T20 squad and fast bowler Lockie Ferguson (back) will miss the series through injury.

The Black Caps have also rested several stars for the first T20 match, including captain Kane Williamson (paternity leave) and star left-arm paceman Trent Boult. Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson and Daryl Mitchell will also be available only for the second and third matches.

Fast bowler Jacob Duffy is expected to make his debut for NZ after shining in domestic cricket for Otago.


New Zealand v Pakistan series schedule

December 18: 1st T20, Eden Park, Auckland, 7pm local time
December 20: 2nd T20, Seddon Park, Hamilton, 7pm local time
December 22: 3rd T20, McLean Park, Napier, 7pm local time
December 26-30: 1st Test, Bay Oval, Tauranga, 11am local time
January 3-7: 2nd Test, Hagley Oval, Christchurch, 11am local time


New Zealand T20I squad

Mitchell Santner (c), Todd Astle, Doug Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner.
Squad for 2nd and 3rd T20Is: Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.

Pakistan T20I squad

Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Shoaib Malik, Hussain Talat, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Waqas Maqsood, Faheem Ashraf, Asif Ali.

Continue reading for our free New Zealand v Pakistan tips for the first T20 being played at Eden Park on Friday night. 



New Zealand v Pakistan betting tips

Our cricket tipsters have examined the odds and found several New Zealand v Pakistan tips for Friday’s T20 clash.

Pakistan to win at $2.60

Yes, the tourists have had a preparation disrupted by quarantine and injury, but the New Zealand side stepping out for game one is much weaker than what they will put out for games two and three. And Pakistan are a talented side in this shortest form of the game. We see the match as much closer to an even-money outcome, in which case we would be on Pakistan at the generous price of $2.60.

Mitchell Santner most wickets for NZ at $4.50

The left-armer captains the Black Caps in the first game before being rested for the final two matches after a hectic schedule. He is proven at this level of the game, being ranked in the top 10 T20 bowlers in the world. We expect Santner to head for a well earned break on a high.


New Zealand v Pakistan prediction 18/12/2020

This is such an unpredictable contest. The loss of Azam is a huge blow for Pakistan but they do have an assembly line of free-flowing T20 batsman, and they have been in great form in T20Is. This is a great chance for the tourists to seize some much-needed momentum for their trip to NZ. Our final New Zealand v Pakistan prediction? Pakistan to cause a shock and win first-up against the Kiwis. 


New Zealand v Pakistan T20 Details

How can I watch the New Zealand v Pakistan T20I?

New Zealand: TVNZ 1, Spark Sport. Pakistan: PTV Sports.

How can I bet on the New Zealand v Pakistan game?

All of the top Australian betting sites and best Indian bookmakers offer betting on the cricket, while international readers can check out the best cricket betting sites.

What time does the New Zealand v Pakistan first T20 start?

The game starts at 7pm local time (11am Pakistan time) on December 19, 2020.

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