PAK vs NZL 1st Test Day 1 match prediction 26 Dec 2022

PAK vs NZ 1st Test Day 1 Predictions & Betting Tips

Pakistan will be at loggerheads with New Zealand on 26th December in the first of the two match long Test series which is a part of New Zealand’s tour of Pakistan 2022/23. The fixture is scheduled to be hosted at the National Stadium, Karachi and the match will commence from 10:30 AM IST. Ahead of the matchday, I have assorted three of the best money making betting tips for you from the PAK vs NZ head-to-head encounter.

New Zealand are touring Pakistan after almost two decades now. The last Test between these two nations was played back in May 2002 when Pakistan defeated New Zealand by an innings and 324 runs. However, it has been New Zealand who dominated Pakistan in the last few years, winning seven out of eight Tests played. Most recently, Pakistan were swept by England (0-3). New Zealand have been out of red ball action for quite some time now. Hence, this match promises to be an exciting and tight affair. As we gear up for this exciting game of cricket, let us have a look at our top team & player betting tips from the PAK vs NZ Day 1 match prediction.

PAK vs NZ Day 1 Team Bet:

Let us have a look at our top team betting tip from the PAK vs NZ Day 1 head-to-head contest.

New Zealand to score under 25.5 runs in 1st innings

The Kiwis will be resuming Test cricket after a long break now. They last played against England at home back in June this year. Will Young and Tom Latham have been the regular ones to open the innings for New Zealand. NZ posted scores of 0 & 28, 84 & 4, 1 & 5, 4 & 1 and 18 runs before the fall of the first wicket in the last five Tests. This totals to 145 runs across 9 innings averaging at just 16.11 runs per game for the opening wicket. In every single innings, barring two, over the five game period, the Kiwis failed to post a total above our target for the first wicket. This entails a 77.78% efficiency of NZ to score under 25.5 runs for the first wicket in this game. In the last five head-to-head meetings vs PAK, NZ’s scores read 52, 4 & 111, 24 & 1, 50 & 10 and 20 & 0 runs before the first fall. Six out of nine times, NZ openers failed to stitch a partnership of over 25 runs which entails a 66.67% efficiency to do the same in the forthcoming match as well. Opener W Young has limited Test experience and averages just 28.60 in his career while veteran Kiwi opener, Tom Latham averages close to 40.55. With that said, we have backed NZ to score under 25.5 runs for the opening wicket in the first innings of the forthcoming game. To capitalise on this, grab the odds of 1.832 offered by 1XBET in NZ’s favour from the PAK vs NZ Day 1 match prediction.

PAK vs NZ Day 1 Player Bets:

We have chosen Babar Azam & Devon Conway as our top two player betting tips from the PAK vs NZ Day 1 match prediction. Have a look!

Babar Azam to score over 39.5 runs in 1st innings

The right-handed batsman, Babar Azam seems to be in a league of his own piling up runs in all the three formats of the game. For several years now, Virat, Smith, Kane and Root had been headlining the ‘fab 4’ of batting but the young Pakistani skipper has raised hand for a place in the elite list courtesy of some consistent batting performances recently. The 28-year-old is currently the No.1 & No.4 batsman in ODIs & T20Is and ranks second in the longest format of the game. In the three match Test series against England at home, Babar Azam struck 348 runs from six innings at an average of 58.00. This includes a hundred and three fifties. He finished being the highest run-getter for his side. The Lahore born cricketer has been a vital cog for Pakistan across all formats and has hammered 1009 runs in the last 8 Tests at an average of about 67.26. His scores in the first innings of the last five Tests read 78, 75, 136, 16 & 119 runs. This entails a 80% efficiency of Babar Azam to score over 39 runs in this game. Since making his Test debut against WI back in 2016, Babar has featured in almost 45 Tests and has amassed 3470 runs at an average of 45.19. Furthermore, he has played five Tests against SL in this short period wherein he has racked up 409 runs at an average of 58.42. At the National Stadium in Karachi, Babar has scored 561 runs in 4 Tests at an average of 80.14. The numbers clearly weigh in favour of this betting tip, thus making it a strong and a reliable one for this game. To capitalise on this, scoot over to 1XBET and place your bet on him at odds of 1.832 to score over 39 runs in the first innings from the PAK vs NZ Day 1 match prediction.

Devon Conway to score over 29.5 runs in 1st innings

The South African born New Zealand cricketer is my ultimate pick from this forthcoming contest between PAK & NZ. The left-handed batsmen who shifted to New Zealand in 2017 can also go behind the stumps. The Johannesburg born cricketer established himself in the domestic circuit before making his test debut in 2021. Since then, the 31 year-old top order batsmen has played 10 matches in which he has racked up 918 runs at an astonishing average of 51.00. He scored a double century on his test debut against England at the mecca of cricket-Lord’s. In this short period of time, he has smashed three hundreds and four half-ones. Although the southpaw has only played a few tests, he has an experience of about 120 first class games and 95 List A matches. The southpaw is having an amazing year so far and is averaging almost 44.91 in Tests. He has scored 539 runs from 7 Tests. In the three match long Test series vs England at home, Conway scored 151 runs at an average of about 25.16. Conway’s first innings scores this year in Tests read 26, 46, 3, 16, 36, 109 & 122 runs. Therefore, it would be fair to place your bet on Conway to score over 29 runs in the first innings of this game. We advise you to bet on Devon Conway at odds of 1.832 to score over 29.5 runs through our affiliate partner 1XBET.

My Picks:

New Zealand to score under 25.5 runs in 1st innings @ 1.832 (1XBET)

Babar Azam to score over 39.5 runs in 1st innings @ 1.832 (1XBET)

Devon Conway to score over 29.5 runs in 1st innings @ 1.832 (1XBET)