It’s the summer of cricket down under, and New Zealand host Pakistan for a flurry of T20Is over the coming week. With five T20Is packed into almost as many days, this will be an entertaining and competitive series despite being over and done with in a flash. We break down the latest New Zealand vs Pakistan odds ahead of the first clash on Friday.
Neither side have played much of the shortest format recently, with the Cricket World Cup and World Test Championship taking precedence in the cricket calendar. Who can come out of the gate faster in this rapid series? Read on for all our NZ vs PAK cricket betting tips.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | Pakistan tour of New Zealand 2024, Five Twenty20 |
| 🏟️ Venues: | Stadiums across New Zealand |
| 🗓️ Dates: | Friday, 15 January to Sunday, 21 January, 2024 |
Before we get into our NZ vs PAK cricket T20I betting predictions, let’s look at what the latest cricket odds have to say ahead of this series. Here are the New Zealand vs Pakistan odds for the first T20I of the series:
New Zealand hold the slight edge heading into the first T20I against Pakistan, with odds of 1.60 (8/13) for the Kiwis compared to 2.23 (5/4) for Pakistan. Those who want to bet on NZ vs PAK 2024 cricket at these odds better get in quick because chances are these will shift after the first match.
Pakistan and New Zealand have a strong history of playing cricket against each other, with Pakistan first heading to Kiwi shores bat-in-hand in 1964/65. Overall, Pakistan lead the head to head across all formats, with a record of 25-14 in Tests, 61-51 in ODIs, and 20-13 in T20Is.
Looking at T20Is in particular, here’s how the past five meetings between New Zealand and Pakistan have panned out:
New Zealand have only played two T20I series in the past six months, against Bangladesh recently and England in mid-2023. Both series were drawn, with New Zealand going 1-1 against Bangladesh and 2-2 against England.
For Pakistan, it’s been the better part of a year since they last played the format. In fact, the last time Pakistan engaged in T20Is, it was against New Zealand, where they split the difference 2-2 in a home series.
Looking at all the odds from bookmakers in New Zealand, we’ve come up with the best NZ vs PAK cricket betting tips ahead of the first match this Friday:
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While both sides are light on experience in T20Is recently, New Zealand have at least been out in the field within recent memory. Their series against Bangladesh was rain-interrupted, but two completed T20Is were managed. Though this may not have given punters much indication of the Kiwis’ form (they spluttered to 134/9 in the first and sealed a rain-affected third match by making 95/5), at least the squad have had time to gel in the format.
Pakistan, on the other hand, literally have not played a T20I since April 2023. This is a significant gap, and one would expect it’ll take the visitors a match or two before they hit their stride in this series. Playing at home, with more momentum, it’s expected that New Zealand will clean up in this match – particularly playing in Eden Park, one of their favored grounds.
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One man who needs no time to warm up is the dangerous Shaheen Afridi. Eden Park favors pacers, so expect Afridi to be right amongst the wickets in the first T20I. The fast bowler has 64 wickets already in the format and loves ripping out top orders early in the innings.
He last played in the Boxing Day Test against Australia, and despite the format differences, bowled well for his figures of 85/2 from 27 overs. With odds of 4.00 (3/1) for Afridi to be the best Pakistani bowler, this bet is too hard to turn up.
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Top-order batsman Devon Conway has been a standout for New Zealand over the past three years, with the 32-year-old consistently blasting big scores. With 1248 runs across 38 T20I innings at an average of 41.60 (and strike rate of 129), Conway is the kind of player who can win or lose the Black Caps a match.
Looking at his T20I form, there’s little to write home about – five single-digit scores in a row. However, three ODI centuries in 2023, as well as 672 IPL runs earlier in the year, with six half-centuries and a high score of 92 not out, paint a different picture. The opener is due for a big score for his country, and with the small boundaries of Eden Park, the big-hitter could well may hay and win this match single-handedly.
New Zealand and Pakistan with the best bookmakers square off for a flurry of T20I matches starting this Friday, and plenty of great betting opportunities present themselves. We say the Kiwis will start faster in the series and take out the first match, with opener Devon Conway showing the world why he’s one of the best all-format batsmen alive.
