Pakistan opt to bat, drop Rizwan for Sarfaraz and bring Hamza in

Pakistan captain Babar Azam chose to bat under sunny conditions in Karachi for the first Test against New Zealand. The hosts dropped wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan and brought in Sarfaraz Ahmed - their former captain who last played a Test in January 2019 - while Mir Hamza, the left-arm seamer who played his only Test way back in 2018, has made the cut into the XI too.

New Zealand's XI, now being led by new captain Tim Southee, was on expected lines. They have two spinners in Ish Sodhi and Ajaz Patel with another offspin option in Michael Bracewell.

Pakistan are fielding an inexperienced bowling unit for the Test, with Mohammad Wasim being the other seamer alongside Hamza. Nauman Ali and Abrar Ahmed - who combine for 14 Test caps together - are the two main spin bowlers, with allrounder Agha Salman potentially offering a few more overs. Naseem Shah and Hasan Ali were left on the bench.

For both teams, it is an opportunity to finish 2022 on a high after a torrid few months in Test cricket. They are both trying to break a four-match losing streak in Tests and are already out of contention for the World Test Championship final scheduled for June 2023.

Pakistan: 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Shan Masood, 4 Babar Azam (capt), 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), 7 Agha Salman, 8 Nauman Ali, 9 Mohammad Wasim, 10 Mir Hamza, 11 Abrar Ahmed.

New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Henry Nicholls, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Tim Southee (capt), 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Ajaz Patel.