The days just are not getting better for Pakistan cricket; coming on the back of a horrid campaign in the Champions Trophy 2025, where the Men in Green were eliminated from the group stages, the side vowed to do better and improve. Making some changes to their squad across formats for the upcoming assignments, the side hoped for improvement.
Making some significant changes to their squad, Pakistan travelled to New Zealand for a white ball series. Taking on the Black Caps in the first T20I of the series, the Men in Green failed to put in a good performance and even registered an unwanted record in their name.
The first T20I of the series was held at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Sunday, March 16. The clash saw Pakistan coming in to bat first, and the side was immediately put under pressure. Opening the innings, Mohammad Haris and Hasan Nawaz departed for a duck.
Salman Agha added 18 runs on the board, with Irfan Khan and Shadab Khan scoring one and three runs, respectively. Furthermore, Khushdil Shah scored 32 runs with Jahandad Khan adding 17 runs on the board. By the end of the first innings, Pakistan were limited to a score of 91 runs on the board. Posting a subpar total on the board, this was Pakistan’s lowest men’s T20I score in New Zealand.
The Black Caps put in an excellent performance with the ball. Jacob Duffy was the highest wicket-taker in the first innings with four wickets to his name. Kyle Jamieson took three wickets, with Ish Sodhi taking two and Zakary Foulkes striking once as well. Aiming to chase down the target, New Zealand put forth a good showing, losing just one wicket in the second innings, winning the first T20I against Pakistan.
Pakistan’s lowest T20I totals in New Zealand:
91 in Christchurch in 2025
101 in Wellington in 2016
105 in Wellington in 2015
