Pakistan's tour of New Zealand concludes on April 5, 2025, with the third and last match of the One-Day International. The game will be played at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, and it begins at 3:00 am. PST.

New Zealand will be hoping to seal a comprehensive win over Pakistan in the third and last ODI of the tour on Saturday. The match will be held at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.

New Zealand and Pakistan will face each other in the third and last ODI at the Bay Oval. The hosts have already won the series after securing their first two matches. The Black Caps have been consistent till now, showcasing both batting strength and bowling restraint. With victory in hand, they will now look to keep their winning momentum going with a comprehensive 3-0 win.

Pakistan, meanwhile, will seek to salvage some pride following their failure to match the ferocity of New Zealand in the initial two encounters. The visiting side must pull their acts together immensely, particularly with their batting that so far has failed to make a dent out of situations of a winner-takes-it-all situation. Winning the last ODI will not only see them avoid losing but also psyche themselves up ahead of next obstacles.

Match Preview

New Zealand

Even though it did not play its first eleven, New Zealand played very well in the ODI series. The team has easily won both of its last matches and is eager to finish the tour on a positive note.

The inexperienced batsmen have fit into the team so well. Rhys Mariu, who debuted on Wednesday, batted well and put up a good opening partnership with Nick Kelly. Muhammad Abbas and Mitchell Hay played well in the middle order. Hay played an unbeaten 99 runs in the last match, and his team emerged victorious in a winning wicket.

The batting order also includes veteran batsmen like Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, and Michael Bracewell. Mark Chapman, who was not available for the previous match due to injury, is likely to be available for this match and further reinforce the team. The bowlers too played well for the hosts.

Ben Sears bowled magnificently on Wednesday, taking five. Jacob Duffy and Nathan Smith also took five wickets. The spinners, though, have not had much to do yet.

Pakistan

Pakistan's bad run appears to be showing no signs of letting up, particularly against the Black Caps. The team performed another below-par effort and has already lost the series. They now hope to turn things around and win a match to level the scores in the last game of this tour.

The order batsmen Imam ul Haq, Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, and Tayyab Tahir had a tough time getting started and putting pressure on the other batsmen. Babar Azam had made a half-century in the first game but was given out for only one run on Wednesday, which left the visitors 32 runs short, a half a team.

The lone silver lining for Pakistan was Faheem Ashraf, who played a brilliant 73 runs under pressure and shared a 60-run ninth-wicket stand with Naseem Shah, who replaced Haris Rauf because of concussion. The latter also made his first ODI half-century.

But it was too little, too late to have an impact on the end result. Their bowling was also quite below par. Pakistan will require their seaming three of Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr., and Akif Javed to pick early wickets with the new ball.

Pitch Report

Bay Oval is known as one of New Zealand's top-scoring grounds, so we can anticipate a lot of runs here. The average score for the first innings hovers around 272, and the team batting first will definitely be aiming to surpass the 300-run mark. While the ball can be a bit tricky in the initial overs, batting tends to get easier as the innings go on.

Toss Prediction

In the last three ODIs at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, the team that has batted first has come out on top, so we anticipate both teams will choose to bowl first in this match.

Weather Report

As for the weather in Mount Maunganui, it looks like it will be mostly sunny, with just a 5% chance of rain. Expect temperatures to be around 24 degrees Celsius.

Head to Head

The two teams have faced off in 121 matches to date, with New Zealand taking the lead with 56 wins compared to Pakistan's 61. There have been three matches that ended in a draw, and one match was also a draw.

Venue Details

Just like many other venues in this series and tour, the pitch here will definitely favor the fast bowlers. When batting, players have to adapt to the conditions while also keeping a close watch on the scoreboard—otherwise, they might find themselves in a tough spot! A good score to aim for in the first innings is around 320 to 330 runs.

Match Prediction

It's been a tough tour for Pakistan in New Zealand, and it looks like it might wrap up with yet another disappointing result for them. While we do expect one of their seasoned batsmen to deliver a solid performance, New Zealand has the strength in their lineup to secure a comfortable victory.

We're backing on a New Zealand win!

Betting Tips

We're putting our money on a New Zealand victory. They've outperformed Pakistan in every aspect of the game, and we believe they'll keep up that momentum. Pakistan has also had a tough time in the T20 series and ODIs, making a comeback seem unlikely. Currently, the margin of victory between New Zealand and Pakistan stands at 58% in favor of New Zealand.

Bet on New Zealand.

Probable Playing XI

New Zealand Playing XI

Will Young, Nick Kelly, Henry Nicholls, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Muhammad Abbas, Michael Bracewell, 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, Akif Javed, Mohammad Ali.

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New Zealand Key Players

Jacob Duffy – Jacob Duffy was New Zealand's highest wicket-taker in the last T20I series against Pakistan, taking 13 wickets in five innings and recording a 8.38 average.

Mitchell Hay was the showstopper, delivering a masterful 99* from 78 deliveries. He stepped up when New Zealand were struggling and flipped the game on its head with an innings full of seven boundaries and seven huge sixes.

Ben Sears took part in his first match of the series in the last game and overshadowed all others with a tremendous five in 9.2 overs for an economy rate of 6.32. He was in superb form, and with a great bowling average of 11.80, he is likely to be New Zealand's best bowler once more.

Pakistan Key Players

Faheem Ashraf fought hard in the turning point. Pakistan were in a tough spot at one stage, but Faheem demonstrated his fighting quality, scoring 73 runs from 80 deliveries, six fours, and three sixes.

Salman Agha – Salman Agha was Pakistan's lone major batsman in the T20I series, amassing 167 runs in five matches at an average of 41.75.

Haris Rauf – During the ODI match against New Zealand, Haris Rauf was Pakistan's second-highest wicket-taker with five wickets in three matches at an average of 19.80.