Pakistan's aspirations to move past a dismal Champions Trophy campaign, which saw them exit in the group stage of their home tournament, began on an unsatisfactory note. In the inaugural match of the T20I series against New Zealand on Sunday at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, fast bowler Kyle Jamieson dismantled the Pakistan batting order by claiming three wickets during the powerplay.

Batting first, Pakistan, missing key players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, saw Jamieson make an immediate impact with the new ball, dismissing opener Mohammad Haris on the last delivery of the first over, resulting in a wicket-maiden for the right-arm pacer.

Following this, Jacob Duffy accounted for another opener, Hasan Nawaz, in the next over. Jamieson then returned to remove Irfan Khan for just one run off six balls, leaving Pakistan struggling at 3 for 3 by the third over. In his final over with the new ball, Jamieson claimed the wicket of Shadab Khan, thanks to a remarkable catch by Tim Robinson behind square, concluding the powerplay with Pakistan at 14 for 4.

Why did Pakistan drop Babar, Rizwan?

The decision to exclude Babar and Rizwan stemmed from their underwhelming performance in the Champions Trophy, leading selectors to omit the two experienced batsmen from the T20I series against New Zealand.

Aaqib Javed, Pakistan’s interim head coach and national selector, explained that this decision was made to explore a new strategy and foster a fresh mindset among players for contemporary T20 cricket.

"Observing other teams, it is evident that most have 70 percent distinct T20 squads, and we are also focusing on this ahead of the Asia Cup and World T20 Cup. We need our players to adopt a fearless approach to the game," he stated to the media in Lahore.

Nevertheless, both players have been retained for the ODI series against the Black Caps, who were the runners-up in the Champions Trophy. The 50-over matches are set to commence on March 29, following the conclusion of the five-match T20I series.

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