New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl against Pakistan in the dead-rubber final match of their Twenty20 series in Wellington on Wednesday.
The hosts made one change to the side that took an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the fourth match on Sunday with Ben Sears replacing with Zak Foulkes.
Captain Michael Bracewell said he expected dew on the ground as the match progressed through the evening.
Pakistan made four changes and captain Salman Agha said he was looking for a big improvement after the country’s biggest losing margin in T20s in the fourth match.
“We want to bat well and have a good powerplay,” he said.
“We were not expecting that much swing (in the last match), and we are looking forward to this game now.”
On Tuesday, Pakistan’s assistant coach Azhar Mahmood had said the team would try to end the series 3-2.
“Definitely the [T20] series has been decided. The morale of our team was down but the fighting spirit and energy they demonstrated by our youngsters, despite losing the series, is a positive sign for us,” Azhar said while talking to media after the tourists’ training session in Wellington.
New Zealand: Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Mitch Hay, Michael Bracewell (capt), Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears, Will O’Rourke
Pakistan: Salman Agha (c), Mohammad Haris, Hasan Nawaz, Omair Yousuf, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Abdul Samad, Jahandad Khan, Haris Rauf, Sufyan Moqim, Mohammad Ali
Umpires: Shaun Haig (NZL), Wayne Knights (NZL)
TV umpire: Cory Black (NZL)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)
