• Pakistan vs New Zealand 1st T20I was cancelled due to rain.
• The match was reduced to 5 overs per side after rain.
• There is 49% chance of rain for the 2nd T20I on April 20th.

The inaugural T20I match between Pakistan and New Zealand was cancelled due to persistent rain in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

After the announcement that the match was shortened to five overs per team, the players managed to play only two balls before leaving the field again.

Shaheen Afridi, who opened the bowling for Pakistan, dismissed Tim Robinson with an inswinging delivery that hit the stumps on the second ball.

The rain made a comeback immediately after the wicket, leading the umpires to call off the match.

Interestingly, the players had initially left the field just as Shaheen was about to bowl the first ball of the match.

New Zealand, having won the toss, chose to bat first under the leadership of captain Michael Bracewell.

Pakistan gave debut caps to three players – Usman Khan, Irfan Khan Niazi, and Abrar Ahmed.

On the other hand, Josh Clarkson was making his debut for New Zealand.

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

It’s worth noting that there is a 49 percent probability of rain in Rawalpindi on April 20, the scheduled date for the second T20I.

However, the likelihood of rain on April 21, when the third T20I is due to occur, is significantly lower at 19 percent.

Following the initial three matches at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, both teams will relocate to Lahore, where the final two T20Is of the series will be played on April 25 and 27, respectively.

[embedpost slug = “/pak-vs-nz-mark-chapman-says-absence-of-key-players-wont-affect-results/”]