Pakistan and New Zealand have started their One-Day International series and will face each other for the second time on April 2, 2025. They will face each other at Seddon Park in Hamilton, at 3:00 AM PST.

New Zealand and Pakistan will face each other in the second ODI of the three-match series. The game will be played at Seddon Park in Hamilton, beginning at 3:00 AM PST on April 2, 2025. New Zealand is at an advantage at this point, having beaten Pakistan by a handsome margin of 73 runs in the first ODI. The away team would be disappointed by this loss.

PAK bowlers bowled first and kept the New Zealand batters on their toes, lowering their strike rate to 50/3 in the 13th over. Both of them were economical, picking wickets in the initial 15 overs of the game. It was a nightmare afterwards, as the Pakistani bowlers were unable to get rid of the duo of Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell. Muhammad Abbas came in and guided New Zealand to a total of 344/9.

The Pakistani batsmen began on a positive note, quite differently from the New Zealand batsmen. Poor bowling favored them, with the bowlers giving away lots of extras. But Pakistan continued to lose wickets and gave away the match by 73 runs. They can look to draw 1-1 in the second ODI and leave the third ODI to decide the fate. To achieve that, Pakistan will need to come with its best.

Match Preview

New Zealand

New Zealand carried its good momentum from the T20 series further by taking an early lead in the ODI series. Having only two matches left, including this one, a victory would leave the hosts with an insurmountable lead.

A late injury to captain Tom Latham meant New Zealand were forced to shuffle their starting eleven. This didn't, though, affect the team's morale, and the team again played outstandingly. Debutants Nick Kelly and Muhammad Abbas delivered good batting efforts, with Abbas in particular impressive, scoring the quickest ODI half-century on debut.

Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell were also good at batting, as Chapman made a wonderful century. The other players in the batting unit are Will Young, Mitchell Hay, and Henry Nicholls, with additional depth being given by Michael Bracewell.

New Zealand's attack includes Jacob Duffy, William O'Rourke, and Nathan Smith. Smith picked four wickets in the last game and will hope to do so again. The spin unit is very weak, with Bracewell being the sole slow bowler.

Pakistan

Pakistan's woes never appear to end, as the team keeps producing one subpar performance after the other. They now have to give their best to salvage the series.

The visitors have contracted some of their most experienced players for the tournament and are playing nearly their best possible side. Abdullah Shafique and Usman Khan made a good start in the previous game and will be hoping to do the same here as well. Babar Azam and Salman Agha were also performing well, scoring half-centuries each.

The team, however, is looking forward to improved performances from Mohammad Rizwan, Tayyab Tahir, and Irfan Khan. The team experienced a slight dip on Saturday that led them to lose the game. Their bowling was also not very consistent. Haris Rauf and Akif Javed both took two wickets and were also frugal.

Irfan Khan claimed three wickets but at a very costly rate. Salman Agha was inconsistent in his line and length too. Pakistan will have to do a better job both with the bat and ball if they are to win this match.

Pitch Report

The pitch at Seddon Park is typically great for batting. The team that bats first will likely aim for a score between 280 and 300 runs. However, there’s a good amount of green grass on the pitch, which should help the fast bowlers get some movement off the seam. Batsmen will need to tread carefully during the powerplay.

Toss Prediction

It’s interesting to note that seven out of the last ten matches at Seddon Park have been won by the team chasing. In six of those games, the team that won the coin toss opted to field first, which leads us to believe that chasing is the smarter choice in this matchup.

Weather Report

As for the weather in Hamilton, expect heavy cloud cover, but there’s only a slim 10% chance of rain. The temperature should be around 24 degrees Celsius.

Head to Head

New Zealand and Pakistan have a rich history in ODIs. Their very first ODI match was back in 1973, and New Zealand clinched that victory by 22 runs. Over the years, the two teams have faced off in 120 matches, with New Zealand winning 55 and Pakistan taking 61. They’ve even had one thrilling draw, while three matches ended without a result.

Venue Details

Seddon Park is a fantastic spot for ODI cricket. The last match played here in January wrapped up with a score of 255/9 against a total of 142. We’re anticipating a similar outcome in terms of bowling performance, with a maximum par score hovering around 300.

Match Prediction

In the opening match, Pakistan demonstrated that they have the talent to challenge New Zealand with both bat and ball. However, their main issue lies in the depth of their squad in both areas. New Zealand, on the other hand, knows these conditions well and boasts players who can step up in every aspect of the game. So, we’re leaning towards another victory for them, securing the series win, even with one match still to go!

We’re backing to New Zealand win!

Betting Tips

We’re putting our money on New Zealand to take this one. They’ve been on fire throughout the tour, and we’re confident they’ll keep up the momentum. On the other hand, Pakistan really needs to step up their game. When it comes to win percentages, New Zealand has a solid 64% advantage over Pakistan.

Bet on New Zealand.

Probable Playing XI

New Zealand Playing XI

Will Young, Nick Kelly, Rhys Mariu, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Muhammad Abbas, Michael Bracewell (C), Mitchell Hay (WK), Nathan Smith, Jacob Duffy, Will O'Rourke.

Pakistan Playing XI

Abdullah Shafique, Usman Khan, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (C & WK), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ali, Akif Javed.

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New Zealand Key Players

Jacob Duffy was the second-highest wicket-taker in the last match against Pakistan, with two wickets in nine overs on an economy rate of 6.33. He had been New Zealand's leading bowler in the T20I series, with 13 wickets in five innings at a great average of 8.38, and is still the first choice for this match.

Daryl Mitchell was also important in the last game, with 76 runs off 84 balls. His record in the fifty-over format is good, with over 1,900 runs at nearly 50 on average. We're counting on him to play well here as well.

Pakistan Key Players

Salman Agha became Pakistan's second-leading run-getter with 58 runs. Salman Agha was the fulcrum of Pakistan throughout the five-match T20I series, aggregating 167 runs at an average of 41.75. Following his fine beginning to the ODI tournament.

Haris Rauf contributed a masterly ten-over period in the third match against New Zealand, yielding a maiden, claiming two wickets, and recording an economy rate of 3.80. With four wickets across four innings at an average of 12.25, he was Pakistan's top bowler in the T20Is.