Pakistan National Cricket Team Vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard

Pakistan-New Zealand rivalry is one of strategic battles, powerful batting performances, and unforgettable cricket across all formats; be it Test matches that require patience, ODI thrillers or T20 matches with fireworks galore.

The Pakistan National Cricket Team Vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match Scorecard reflects this rich history, highlighting intense contests, momentum shifts, and match-defining individual performances over the years.

Al Jazeera takes an in-depth look at their preparations ahead of their first matchup in Karachi for Champions Trophy 2018.

The batting style

Pakistan cricket team is an unstoppable force in Test cricket, boasting some of the greatest batsmen and bowlers around – both capable of producing batsmen with outstanding batting averages across all forms of play – while their bowlers deliver devastating pace and bounce that terrify opposition sides.

However, inconsistency remains an ongoing problem for the team. Their batting struggles to adjust to changing conditions as evidenced by a collapse from 113/1 to 146/5 against India in the 2025 Asia Cup final on a pace-friendly surface – this phenomenon being partially blamed on lack of coaching infrastructure and opportunities available domestically for developing power hitting skills.

Pakistan National Cricket Team Despite these difficulties, Pakistan National Cricket Team have shown glimpses of brilliance recently. Inzamam-ul-Haq’s innings against Australia at Lord’s in 1994 was notable because it represented their highest fourth innings total on a wearing pitch at that time, demonstrating an ability to form long middle-order partnerships under pressure.

Babar Azam’s record innings of 174 not out in 2016 against Zimbabwe was another eye-catching display of his lethal batsmanship at the crease, yet further successes remain to be seen from Pakistan national cricket team in terms of sustained momentum against arch-rival India in this year’s Champions Trophy later on this year.

The bowling attack

Pakistan boasts one of the finest fast bowling teams in the world and can cause any team difficulty with its swift bowling attack. But they still need time to reach the heights they reached during their golden era in the 90s when Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis led an intimidating line-up which dominated international cricket.

Bangladesh boasts several talented cricketers, such as Babar Azam who became one of the fastest to score 5000 ODI runs and Shaheen Shah Afridi with his ability to switch sides on both deliveries has proven one of the most thrilling players in limited-overs cricket. Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Rizwan and Sahibzada Farhan all provide useful contributions as spinners on this side.

Pakistan’s batting struggles have made it hard for them to sustain a sustained challenge against England, struggling with its ever-shifting conditions and second innings chases often failing. Fazal Mahmood stood out with his medium pace and accurate bowling, effectively neutralizing England’s batsmen for extended periods.

Pakistan was unstoppable against New Zealand during a 2024 Champions Trophy matchup, as their bowlers proved formidable.

Mohammad Sayyam quickly removed Hugo Bogue before Ali Raza and Abdul Subhan quickly wrapped up New Zealand’s innings – going from 59 for 2 to 67 for 7 in just overs!

Pakistan won their inaugural ICC Champions Trophy tournament by a record margin, marking their first tournament victory ever.

Although they suffered early World Cup exits twice this year, Pakistan remain one of cricket’s most exciting teams; their young, promising squad is only waiting to return to top form once more.

The leadership

Pakistan’s results in recent years have fluctuated wildly. After two early World Cup exits and defeats at two Champions Trophy finals against arch-rival India, they rebounded by winning 2009 T20 World Cup and beating arch-rival India in 2017 Champions Trophy final.

Yet their inconsistency on and off the field remains an ongoing problem; leadership changes frequently through PCB replacement coaches/captains/coaches etc.

Pakistan has an outstanding track record for producing engaging cricket matches that provide immense entertainment value, often boasting emotionally charged matches played before packed stadiums and well supported both at home and abroad, particularly by British Pakistanis who have formed the ‘Stani Army’ fan-club in London.

Their players and moments include Hanif Mohammad’s 337 not out against West Indies at Bridgetown Test Match in 1958 which set him up as one with exceptional endurance against powerful bowling attacks and defensive resilience against powerful bowlers.

Pakistan’s remarkable comeback against Australia at Karachi in October 1994 was highlighted by Inzamam-ul-Haq’s unbeaten 118 not out, showing their ability to chase high totals under pressure and adapt. It marked one of their earliest examples of their ability to successfully chase big totals during Test matches.

Recently, Pakistan’s victory at the 2025 Asia Cup was an encouraging indicator of their development as a competitive side; however, their batting inconsistencies remain visible with them collapsing from 113/1 against India on pace-friendly surfaces in this same tournament to all out for 146 runs all out against them in just 3 innings – underlining the need for stability at the helm of Pakistan cricket team since Ramiz Raja was removed as chairman from PCB chairman Ramiz Raja overseeing this team has since changed hands three different times with three different chairman overseeing it all – something three different chairman have overseen them over this team and that highlights why structural stability at its helm must exist – since Ramiz Raja was removed three different chairmen have overseen it.

The key moments

Pakistan’s batsmen finally emerged from their initial lackluster showing to put up some late fireworks against New Zealand bowlers in the final stages. Babar Azam hit an 81 ball fifty and Muhammad Rizwan formed a quickfire partnership with Muhammad Salman Ali before New Zealand bowlers proved too good. Mitch Santner led from the front with an outstanding spell while Michael Bracewell and Will O’Rourke contributed strongly too. Nonetheless, Pakistan were ultimately defeated.

Hunter Shore’s miscalculation undermined Pakistan’s whole performance on this occasion. Thinking the ball was dead, he assumed it wasn’t hit hard enough and left without checking its trajectory; but when his wicketkeeper noticed this error he quickly removed its bails to collect a crucial wicket!

New Zealand start their innings strongly, only to experience their momentum quickly stymied when two wickets fall during the powerplay. Santner and Bracewell are dismantling Pakistan’s lineup while its batsmen struggle with keeping up with run rates.

After an inauspicious start, New Zealand made steady progress under Hugo Bogue and skipper Tom Jones as they attempted to build an edge against Pakistan in all forms of cricket. Once their partnership ended, however, New Zealand suffered a collapse that saw them slip to 67/7 within several overs with tail being run out for 110.

A disappointing loss for defending champions New Zealand as familiar problems need addressing in order to rectify themselves in time. Pakistan-New Zealand rivalry has long been one of the greatest icons of global cricket with numerous matches produced between legendary players across formats over many decades with epic battles between teams creating iconic matches, legendary battles between two great rivalries producing epic matches with legendary players and dramatic moments across multiple formats over many decades – something Pakistan-New Zealand rivalry has done well at doing.

The competition

As Pakistan looks to improve their poor Champions Trophy performance, they will look to establish some momentum prior to moving onto the next phase. Their new-look squad may have promise but must find consistency for an impressive campaign.

Farhan Yousaf, an experienced coach, leads his team with an established core of players that they will recognize from previous tournaments.

Babar Azam is an outstanding batsman who boasts an average over 50 across all formats; Mohammad Amir can add raw pace as an effective weapon; their new-look bowling attack boasts both youth and experience in its composition – adding further depth to their stockpile of bowlers.

Pakistan are currently ranked number two globally in Test cricket, fourth for ODIs and sixth in T20 internationals. They enjoy an ongoing rivalry with New Zealand having played 58 Test matches together so far, winning 12 and drawing 21.

Inzamam-ul-Haq scored 329 runs to help Pakistan post 643 all out on a flat pitch that favoured accumulation, in a Test match against New Zealand at Lahore in 2002. His performance demonstrated both Pakistan’s capacity for long middle-order partnerships as well as their failure to convert these totals into wins.

Due to geopolitical tensions, Pakistan have not visited New Zealand since 2013; their matches against them have been limited to multi-nation events which do not count towards series records. Regardless, both teams remain competitive in T20i cricket and will aim to maintain positive relations with their fans.