Pakistan win toss, opt to bat against New Zealand

Pakistan vs News Zealand – (Web Desk) – Pakistan national cricket team won the toss and chose to bat first against the New Zealand national cricket team in their opening Super Eight match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The match is being played at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo on Saturday.

Playing XI:
Pakistan included Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, captain Salman Ali Agha, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, wicketkeeper Usman Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, and Usman Tariq.

New Zealand’s lineup features Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, captain Mitchell Santner, Jimmy Neesham, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, and Lockie Ferguson.

Head-to-head record:
Pakistan and New Zealand have faced each other 49 times in T20 internationals. Pakistan holds a slight edge with 24 wins, while New Zealand has won 23 matches.

In T20 World Cup history, the two teams have met seven times, where Pakistan has maintained a stronger record, winning five matches compared to New Zealand’s two victories.

Their last meeting in the tournament came in the semi-final of the 2022 edition, which the Green Shirts won comfortably by seven wickets.

All eyes on Colombo as Pakistan faces New Zealand

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s last victory over Pakistan dates back to the 2016 edition, where they prevailed by 22 runs.

Matches: 49

Pakistan: 24

New Zealand: 23

No Result: 2

Form Guide

Pakistan and New Zealand enter the fixture with similar momentum in their favour as they both finished second in their respective groups, winning three of their four matches.

Pakistan: W, L, W, W, W (most recent first)

New Zealand: W, L, W, W, L