Pakistan vs New Zealand: Ajaz Patel debuts, Tim Southee out as Kiwis bat
Fit-again New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bat in the first Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Williamson missed the last ODI in Dubai on Sunday with a groin injury. New Zealand handed a Test debut to 30-year-old left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel, leaving out fast bowler Tim Southee.
Pakistan’s opener Imam-ul-Haq returned to the side after missing the second Test against Australia in Abu Dhabi with a finger injury.
The second Test is in Dubai from November 24-28 and the third in Abu Dhabi from December 3-7.
Teams
Pakistan: 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Haris Sohail, 5 Asad Shafiq, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt/wk), 7 Bilal Asif, 8 Yasir Shah, 9 Mohammad Abbas, 10 Hasan Ali
New Zealand: 1 Jeet Raval, 2 Tom Latham, 3Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Neil Wagner, 10 Ajaz Patel, 11 Trent Boult