Pakistan Tour New Zealand 2026-27 1st ODI Day 1 Preview Probable XI

Pakistan's white-ball leg of the 2026-27 New Zealand tour opens with a 1st ODI at Eden Park, Auckland, on the indicative date of 14 January 2027. Eden Park's short straight boundaries and high-bounce surface usually deliver high-totals games. With both sides using the rubber as a Champions Trophy 2027 audition window, the early-cycle ODI form on these surfaces will set the tone.

Day 1 timings

A 14:00 NZT start under floodlights places the chase mostly in dew conditions. Multi-zone clock below.

Zone	Start time
NZT (Auckland)	14:00
AEST	12:00
IST	06:30
PKT	06:00
GMT	01:00
EST	20:00 (previous day)

Series fixture context

ODI	Indicative Date	Venue	Capacity
1st	14 Jan 2027	Eden Park, Auckland	50,000
2nd	17 Jan 2027	Seddon Park, Hamilton	11,000
3rd	20 Jan 2027	McLean Park, Napier	22,000

Probable XIs

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (c, wk), Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Nawaz, Aamer Jamal, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.

Saim at the top with Babar locks in the senior anchor; Rizwan continues the white-ball leadership. Pakistan's bowling stays aggressive with three quicks plus Abrar.

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c, wk), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, William O'Rourke.

Phillips at six is locked; Bracewell's spin-bowling all-round role makes him difficult to drop on the high-bounce Eden Park surface.

Broadcast and streaming

Sky NZ as host. PTV Sports and Tamasha in Pakistan. FanCode is expected for India. Sky Sports for the UK, Willow TV for North America, SuperSport for southern Africa.

Tickets and venue logistics

Eden Park ticketing through Ticketmaster New Zealand. General admission projected NZD 35-45, premium reserved NZD 80-130, hospitality NZD 250+. Auckland trains and buses both stop close to the ground. Gates open three hours before the first ball.

Weather and pitch read

Auckland in mid-January is mild with patchy rain risk. Eden Park's ODI surface is typically true with even bounce; the boundaries are short straight (55-60m) and longer square (75m+). First-innings totals over the past 12 ODIs at Eden Park have averaged 285. Dew arrives roughly at the 22nd over of the second innings under lights.

What this match means

A series win for Pakistan in New Zealand would lift its CT 2027 seeding meaningfully and patch some of the senior-batter form questions. New Zealand uses the series as a final live audition for Bracewell, O'Rourke and Phillips at six. Williamson's availability is the swing variable; if he plays, New Zealand starts favourite. If he sits, the rubber tilts toward Pakistan.

For the Test-leg context, see the 1st Test day-1 preview piece. For Pakistan's recent form line, the New Zealand vs Pakistan tri-series final recap sets the head-to-head context.

Toss is at 13:30 NZT. Eden Park under lights in January is one of the cleanest broadcasts in cricket. Expect a 290-plus first innings if the toss winner bowls.