DUBAI: The first T20 of the two-match series between Pakistan and New Zealand will be played at Dubai on Thursday.
The match is scheduled to begin at 9:00 pm Pakistan Standard Time (PST).
The Pakistani side will be led by Shahid Afridi while KS Williamson will lead the New Zealand side.
The two sides have dedicated the trophy for their two Twenty20 matches in memory of the 25-year-old Australian Test batsman Philip Hughes who passed away on Thursday as a result of the head injury he sustained when struck by a bouncer two days ago.
Hughes was hit by a bouncer while playing for South Australia against New South Wales in a Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
In previous nine Twenty20 matches played between the two countries, Pakistan beat New Zealand in six times while lost in three games.
The second and the final T20 match will be played in Dubai on Friday. Both teams will also play five one-day internationals (ODIs).
Pakistan T20 Squad
Shahid Afridi*, Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Awais Zia, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan, Raza Hasan, Saad Nasim, Sarfraz Ahmed†, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz
New Zealand T20 Squad
KS Williamson*, CJ Anderson, DG Brownlie, AP Devcich, MJ Guptill, MJ Henry, TWM Latham, MJ McClenaghan, NL McCullum, KD Mills, AF Milne, JDS Neesham, L Ronchi†, LRPL Taylor, DL Vettori
