Pakistan will face New Zealand on Sunday (today) in the fifth and final ODI of the series in Karachi as the home side looks to stay at the top of the ICC ODI Rankings.
Pakistan have already won the series after taking a 4-0 lead with comprehensive victories in previous matches.
In order to cement their place at the top, Pakistan will have to win the series 5-0. A defeat in the last ODI will see them drop to number three spot with Australia reclaiming their number one ranking.
Pakistan will also remain on top if they bag a victory in the fourth ODI and the fifth match is abandoned or ends in a no-result.
Additionally, Pakistan captain Babar Azam will complete 100 ODI matches by participating in Sunday’s fixture at the National Bank Cricket Arena. The prolific right-hander made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in Lahore almost eight years ago.
“It [call up for the national side] was a different feeling altogether. There was some talk about me being selected, but when I got the call, there was a lot of excitement. I was sitting with my family and it made them happy. When I entered the Gaddafi Stadium as a Pakistan player, I reminisced my journey of how I used to come here as a ball picker and how I had come here before Inzamam-ul-Haq’s final Test match, which was against South Africa, as a net bowler,” Azam told PCB Digital in an exclusive interview on Saturday.
“I was not selected for the national academy for top performers after my first season as an U15 regional player as my performances were not up to the mark. That is when I started to set goals for myself and my first goal was to become a part of it and for that, I worked hard day and night. I used to leave my house for training at 11am and stay in the ground till sunset,” he added.
Squads
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Agha Salman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Usama Mir
New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain), Tom Blundell, Chad Bowes, Mark Chapman, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Cole McConchie, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Will Young.