Pakistan and New Zealand will be taking on each other in the first game of the much-awaited tri-series. The third team to participate in the series is South Africa. The series opener is scheduled to be played on Saturday (February 8) at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Excitement is building in Pakistan ahead of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and we expect the level of anticipation to only go up a notch ahead of this opening clash of the Tri-Nation Series.
All three teams in this tournament, hosts Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa, are not among the favourites for the eight country competition later in the month but they will all be happy to enter as underdogs due to the immense skill and talent they all have. With South Africa waiting in the wings on Saturday and playing only a watching role during this day-night fixture, it is left to Pakistan and the Black Caps to put on a show for an expectant Lahore crowd.
The Pakistan Tri-Nation ODI Series 2025 featuring Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa is set to begin on February 8, with Pakistan taking on New Zealand in the opening match. The four-match series, hosted in Karachi and Lahore, serves as a preparatory platform for the teams ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which kicks off later in February. Both New Zealand and Pakistan won their last bi-lateral ODI series so we can look forward to a high quality ODI in this series opener.
PAK vs NZ : Previous Performances
Pakistan enters the series with strong momentum, having secured a 3-0 ODI series whitewash against South Africa in December 2024. Led by captain Mohammad Rizwan and Pakistan will be eager to continue their winning streak on home soil. On the other hand, New Zealand, under Mitchell Santner, will look to build on their recent 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka. The opening match in Lahore is expected to be a closely contested battle as both teams aim for early dominance.
Both teams will be playing an ODI in Lahore for the first time since 2003. While New Zealand did visit Pakistan in 2003 and played three ODIs, they did not play any match in Lahore. The series is crucial for all the teams as it will be their last series before they participate in the all-important ICC Champions Trophy.
PAK vs NZ : Head to Head
No team has managed to get a clear upper hand in this rivalry although Pakistan have performed slightly better than New Zealand. Of the 116 ODIs between the two teams so far, Pakistan have won 61 while New Zealand have managed to win 51. In recent games, Pakistan have won 4 of the last five 5 ODIs against New Zealand while losing just once.
Total ODI Matches Played: 116
Pakistan Won: 61
New Zealand Won: 51t
Last 5 Matches: Pakistan- 4 wins | New Zealand- 1 win
PAK vs NZ : Pitch Report
A typical subcontinental surface, the pitch at the Gaddafi Stadium is ideal for batting. Pacers will get very little help from the surface and it will make the batsmen’s lives easier. Spinners, on the other hand, could make an impact in the PAK vs NZ game thanks to the slow surface. Dew could turn out to be a big factor in the game. Both the teams will be willing to chase because of the dew.
This is a bit of a mystery, with the entire ground rebuilt recently. Historically, though, the Gaddafi has produced flat batting surfaces and reward for extra pace in ODI cricket. Overhead conditions are likely to be more overcast than sunny, with temperatures dipping in the evening, but no rain is expected.
The last ODI in Lahore yielded a one-sided contest between Bangladesh and Pakistan with the hosts winning by seven wickets with 63 balls remaining. We expect a hard and true wicket with spinners mainly used to slow the pace of the runs. Whoever bats first will be looking to post a total of at least 285.
Toss has not really made a big difference in deciding the outcome of the games at the Gaddafi Stadium as teams batting first and second have almost the same win percentage at the venue. Teams batting first have won 34 ODIs while teams batting second have emerged victorious on 31 occasions.
With four of the last six ODIs in Lahore won by the team fielding first and chasing down a target in the second innings of the game, we predict that both captains will want to bowl first ahead of this fixture. The forecast is for a cloudier day on Saturday compared to the previous and following days in Lahore.
The temperature will be up at 22 degrees at the start of the game but will drop to the high teens by the conclusion. There is no prediction for rain during the game day in Lahore. So, the match is unlikely to witness any interruption. The temperature will be hovering between 20-22 degrees Celsius during the first half of the game and will be less than 20 after the sunset.
PAK vs NZ : Big Picture : Opportunity for precious game time in Pakistan ahead of Champions Trophy 2025
A triangular ODI series is something of a curiosity that belongs in a museum more than it does in 2025. Pakistan last hosted one in 2004, and there have been none in the ODI format anywhere since 2008. When this particular series was announced not long ago, it stood out – it is the only ODI tri series in the current FTP.
Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa will play a truncated version of the classic tri-series, with just one round of matches followed by a final. The schedule was likely squeezed by the SA20 at one end and the Champions Trophy at the other, and it is that upcoming ICC event – the first hosted by Pakistan in nearly three decades – which gives the series context.
While South Africa’s squad is weakened by player commitments at the SA20 and injuries, Pakistan and New Zealand, who take each other on in the opener, have pretty much full-strength sides. Both have named near-identical squads for this series and the Champions Trophy, and had two practice sessions at the rebuilt Gaddafi Stadium, which will officially be inaugurated on Friday, on the eve of the first game.
For each side, it offers the opportunity for precious match practice in conditions where the Champions Trophy will be held in the main (with India’s matches in Dubai). Pakistan and New Zealand will also open the marquee tournament, though that game will take place in Karachi and not Lahore.
Both have played exactly nine ODIs each since the end of the 2023 World Cup, and all in very different conditions to this. While Pakistan won each of their three recent ODI series, New Zealand fell short in the one they played in the subcontinent, a 2-0 reversal against Sri Lanka.
However, it’s not as if they are short of match practice in this country. Since December 2022, they have played two Tests, eight ODIs and ten T20Is in Pakistan across four series. On most of those occasions, though, multiple factors meant New Zealand sent in weakened squads, with larger context to build up to. This time, however, there is a multi-team trophy on the line, all while preparing for the second-biggest title in ODI cricket.
It offers the visitors a chance to trial what appears a healthy balance between seam and spin in Pakistan. Captain Mitchell Santner will have Rachin Ravindra, Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips for slow bowling company, while they also have a battery of fast bowlers – no fewer than six – in their tri-series squad.
Pakistan appear to have shown their hand slightly more, with just one full-time spinner alongside Salman Ali Agha, their most plausible part-time spin option. There is a bit of tinkering required at the top, where it appears Fakhar Zaman, back in from the cold, will open with Babar Azam, an experiment the PCB are testing ahead of the Champions Trophy. With this their only game before the deadline to make changes to the squad on February 11, there is more riding on it for them than just the eventual outcome of the contest.
PAK vs NZ : Vital Stats that matters
- Pakistan are in excellent ODI form, winning all five of their last games in this format.
- New Zealand have won only two of their last five ODIs.
- Pakistan have beaten New Zealand in four of their last five head to heads.
- Fakhar Zaman, who is making a comeback to international cricket, owns 959 ODI runs against NZ at 68.50.
- Shaheen Afridi claimed 15 wickets across just six ODI games in 2024. The year also saw Haris Rauf claim 13 wickets across eight ODIs.
- With 1,244 runs at 49.76, Daryl Mitchell is NZ’s most successful ODI batter since 2023. Matt Henry has claimed 34 wickets in this period at 25.29.
- Babar has only opened twice in ODI cricket, in a bilateral series against England in 2015. He scored 26 runs across his two innings
- Ferguson is one wicket away from becoming the 19th New Zealander to 100 ODI wickets
- Pakistan last hosted an ODI tri-series in 2004, featuring Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. It was called the Paktel Cup, after a telecommunications company that no longer exists. Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the final then
PAK vs NZ : Pakistan and New Zealand Team News
Pakistan :
On a wicket which we expect to be hard, shiny and bouncy, we anticipate Pakistan will go all out and unleash their four express-pace bowlers in this opening game of the Tri-Nation Series.
That means Shaheen Shah Afridi to take the new ball with Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf along with Mohammad Hasnain ready to step up as first change bowlers. As ever, we can expect these Pakistan pacers to bowl with hostility and aggression with a priority of taking wickets. The issue always is though that they are still able to go for plenty of runs when the batters get established at the crease.
Babar Azam is going through a lean spell of form with the bat but he will see this game as an opportunity to find some form ahead of the Champions Trophy. If he can get going then Pakistan, along with Saud Shakeel, Umran Khan and skipper Mohammad Rizwan, could well pile on the runs in this game on Saturday!
Pakistan Predicted Playing XI: Saud Shakeel, Usman Khan, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (c) (wk.), Kamran Ghulam, Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf
New Zealand :
New Zealand have already tasted success in ODI cricket in 2025 and although they were well beaten by Sri Lanka in the third and final game of the series in January, they won the previous two games by nine wicket and by 113 runs. We expect the Black Caps to treat this game and the whole series with full respect and look to get all of their players into the best possible form ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy.
The biggest selection query looks to be over the place of Tom Latham in the side. The Test captain is a strong player across all formats but we expect the right-handed Will Young to get the nod to make a left-right opening partnership with all-rounder Rachin Ravindra. With the ball, New Zealand have plenty of right-arm pacers but none of them come into this game with the form that Matt Henry has been enjoying in domestic and international cricket.
New Zealand Predicted Playing XI: Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Devon Conway (wk.), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy
PAK vs NZ Fantasy XI : Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (C), Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Devon Conway (wk.), Mitchell Santner , Matt Henry, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Philips
PAK vs NZ : Key battles to watch out for in Pakistan and New Zealand
The match promises to see some fiery player battles.
One such clash will be between Rachin Ravindra and Shaheen Afridi, with the former’s batting ability coming up against the latter’s bowling talent.
Another major battle is expected between Kane Williamson and Haris Rauf, with Williamson spearheading New Zealand’s batting attack in tough conditions while Rauf looking to get him out early.
PAK vs NZ : Players In the spotlight: Babar Azam and Lockie Ferguson
Babar Azam :
Babar Azam is always in the spotlight, but things are different this time. With Saim Ayub’s injury and Abdullah Shafique’s loss of form, ESPNCricinfo understands Pakistan’s former captain is expected to be called upon to open the batting to provide stability up top.
He has, with polarizing effect, performed this role in T20 cricket for several years, and more recently stood in as Test opener in Cape Town, scoring a half-century in each innings. In ODIs, however, all but 14 of his innings have come at three, and as he looks to navigate his way out of a difficult run of form, a change of position in his most prolific format will guarantee all eyes on him.
Lockie Ferguson :
Lockie Ferguson has not played ODI cricket since the tail-end of 2023, but with Pakistan also naming four seamers in their squad, this may be a series where express pace is a factor. Fresh off a respectable showing in the ILT20, where he places among the top-ten wicket-takers, the 33-year-old Ferguson is the oldest fast bowler across all three sides this tri-series, but also the quickest.
Against a makeshift Pakistan opening pair and, in Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan, middle-order players more accomplished against spin than high pace, Ferguson’s extra heat presents a locus of vulnerability for Pakistan, and a point of difference for New Zealand.
PAK vs NZ : Match Prediction
Often understated and regularly under-estimated, New Zealand should never be written off in any format of the game. However, against a hungry Pakistan side who are always a tougher prospect at home, we expect to see the hosts get the victory in this opening match. Pakistan will start the game as favorites and is expected to beat New Zealand in the upcoming 1st match of the ODI tri-series.