The opening T20I match of the five-game series between Pakistan and New Zealand was cancelled on Thursday due to heavy rainfall in Rawalpindi.
After a brief play with only two balls delivered, the match was reduced to five overs per side. Pakistani bowler Shaheen Afridi took the new ball and dismissed Tim Robinson with an inswinging delivery that hit the stumps. Soon after, rain resumed, leading the umpires to call off the match.
Before this interruption, the match had just resumed, following another pause. The players had initially left the field as Shaheen was preparing to bowl the first ball. New Zealand had won the toss earlier, with captain Michael Bracewell opting to bat.
The Pakistani team introduced three new players: Usman Khan, Irfan Khan Niazi, and Abrar Ahmed. Josh Clarkson made his debut for New Zealand.
The teams for the match were:
- Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmed.
- New Zealand: Michael Bracewell (c), Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Dean Foxcroft, Ben Lister, James Neesham, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi.
Weather forecasts suggest a 49% chance of rain in Rawalpindi on April 20, the date of the second T20I. However, the likelihood drops to 19% for the third T20I on April 21.
Following the initial matches at Pindi Cricket Stadium, the series will shift to Lahore for the final two games on April 25 and 27.
