T20 World Cup: Pakistan opt to bat as Fakhar returns

2026-02-21 - 13:23

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first against New Zealand in the opening encounter of the Super Eights stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 here at RPS Stadium on Saturday. Pakistan and New Zealand have faced each other 49 times in the shorter format. The Green Shirts are one match ahead with 24 wins. In the T20 World Cups, Pakistan leads with five victories, while New Zealand has won two. Playing XIs New Zealand XI: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (capt), Jimmy Neesham, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (capt), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq