Pakistan elect to bowl first against NZ in 2nd ODI

Pakistan's Haris Rauf smiles after bowling during the 2nd one-day international (ODI) cricket match between New Zealand and Pakistan at Seddon Park in Hamilton on April 2, 2025. — AFP

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first against New Zealand in the second ODI of the three-match home series being played at Seddon Park on Wednesday.

"We are looking at the conditions and that´s why we are bowling first," captain Mohammed Rizwan with heavy cloud overhead and the possibility of rain later.

"We expect it to do a bit early and hopefully we can ride that wave and put pressure on them later," New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell said.

Pakistan's batter, Usman Khan, after sustaining a hamstring injury was ruled out from the match, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.

The 29-year-old opening batter got injured while fielding during his side’s first ODI against hosts at the Mclean Park in Napier on Friday.

The MRI scan confirmed a low-grade tear, making Usman unavailable for today's ODI.

Naseem Shah also will miss the match owing to the injury. Overall, Pakistan are hitting the ground with four changes.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s in-form middle-order batter Mark Chapman has been excluded from the ODI.

Chapman, who was named the player of the match in the opening ODI for his brisk century, sustained the injury in the second innings while fielding and subsequent scans revealed a grade-one tear, according to New Zealand Cricket (NZC).

Pakistan are trailing New Zealand 0-1 in the ongoing three-match ODI series as they suffered a gruelling 73-run defeat in the opener.

In the series opener, batting first, New Zealand posted a formidable total of 344, thanks to an outstanding century from Mark Chapman (132) and a blistering 24-ball fifty from debutant Muhammad Abbas.

In reply, Pakistan started well, reaching 249-3 in the 39th over. However, they failed to capitalise on the strong position as wickets began to fall quickly. Pakistan was ultimately bowled out for 271 runs.

Pakistan will look to bounce back after a disappointing run in the recent tri-nation ODI series, the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and a 4-1 defeat in the T20I series, coupled with a poor start to the ODI series.

New Zealand, on the other hand, will aim to carry forward their winning momentum after clinching the T20I series and winning the first ODI.

Pakistan's playing XI:

Abdullah Shafique, Imam Ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (cap & wk), Salman Ali Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Haris Rauf, Sufyan Moqim, Akif Javed.

New Zealand's playing XI:

Nick Kelly, Rhys Mariu, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell (cap), Muhammad Abbas, Mitchell Hay (wk), Nathan Smith, Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears, Will O'Rourke.

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