It's time for red-ball cricket as New Zealand take on Pakistan in the first Test at the Bay Oval at Mount Maunganui starting on Saturday. 

New Zealand come into this two-game Test series following a 2-1 victory in the T20 series against the same team, Pakistan. New Zealand are in good form in this format of the game. They comprehensively beat the West Indies earlier this month by an innings in both the Tests. Batting first and putting up big totals was the blueprint in those games and is likely to be followed here.

New Zealand have a full strength squad barring a few injured players and will be keen on continuing their domination in this series too. Captain K Williamson comes back into the side replacing W Young and M Santner replaces D Mitchell as the all-rounder on the team. A solid top order and a four-man pace attack will be a lot to handle for the visitors.

Pakistan return to Test action after their 3-match Test series against England in August, which they lost 1-0. M Rizwan will lead the side in the opening Test as captain B Azam, Imam-ul-Haq and S Khan are all absent because of injury. 

S Masood and Abid Ali will open the batting, with experienced Azhar Ali coming at no. 3. Fawad Alam and Haris Sohail will come in the middle order. The rest of their Test regulars such as Y Shah, M Abbas, and N Shah all return to action here, but they will have to hit the ground running as they have not played Test cricket since the series in England.

Although the hosts are the favorites here, especially because of their home conditions, Pakistan will take heart from their performance in England and the last T20I against the hosts. With valuable Test championship points on offer, both teams should give their best in what promises to be a great Boxing Day Test game at the Bay Oval.

Match Details

• Match: New Zealand vs. Pakistan, 1st Test
• Venue: Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
• Date & Time: Dec. 26, 2020, at 3.30 AM IST

Probable Playing XI

New Zealand

T Blundell, T Latham, K Williamson (C), R Taylor, H Nicholls, B Watling (WK), M Santner, K Jamieson, T Southee, N Wagner, T Boult

Pakistan

S Masood, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, H Sohail, F Alam, M Rizwan (C & WK), Y Shah, F Ashraf, M Abbas, S Afridi, N Shah

Weather and Pitch Report

It will be bright and sunny for the first four days of the match with temperatures in the low 20s. A few rain interruptions are expected with a cloud cover on the final day.

This will be the second Test match at this venue. England played against the hosts last year here, losing by an innings. The Bay Oval is generally a good pitch to bat on. Pace bowlers might enjoy bowling on the first day with the swing on offer. The pitches in New Zealand are generally best to bat on day 2 and day 3 of a Test match. Expect a score of around 350 runs in the first innings of the match.

The pitch is expected to deteriorate as the match progresses and chasing the total in the fourth innings might be tricky on this pitch. The captain winning the toss will look to bat first.

Key Players

• K Williamson scored a career-best 251 runs in the first Test against the West Indies. He looked in good form in the recent T20I series and will look to continue his good form with the bat in this match too.
• B Watling might be one of the most underrated players in world cricket right now, but he has a very good average for a wicketkeeper batsman. Also, he scored his maiden double century in Tests at this same venue against England last year.
• K Jamieson has been one of the superb finds for Kiwis in the Test format. He was the Player of the Series against the West Indies, picking up 11 wickets and scoring 71 runs in the 2 match series.
• Azhar Ali ended his string of low scores with a brilliant 141 runs in the last Test match against England. He will need to play a big role in this match as the team's senior-most player.
• M Rizwan has been handed over the captaincy duties for this Test. He was in good form in the recently concluded T20I series and scored 128 runs in three matches, including a match-winning 89* in the last game.
• M Abbas is known to move the ball consistently. In 21 Test matches, he has picked up 80 wickets at an average of 21.7. He will trouble the Kiwi batsmen in the conditions that are highly conducive to swing bowling.

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeepers: B Watling, M Rizwan
• Batsmen: T Latham, K Williamson, Azhar Ali 
• All-rounders: M Santner, F Ashraf
• Bowlers: K Jamieson, T Southee, N Wagner, M Abbas

• Captain: K Williamson/B Watling
• Vice Captain: K Jamieson/M Santner

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play real cricket online matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!