To prevent a 5-0 defeat, Pakistan gives Haseebullah a debut and a batsmanship.

Ish Sodhi and Rachin Ravindra were the two additions made by New Zealand, while Usama Mir and Abbas Afridi also entered the game.

In an attempt to prevent a clean sweep, Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat in the fifth and final Twenty20 International in Christchurch. They rested opener Saim Ayub and quick bowlers Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim in their three-man lineup from the team that lost the fourth Twenty20 International two days prior. The 20-year-old top-order batsman Haseebullah Khan made his debut alongside legspinner Usama Mir and fast bowler Abbas Afridi.

Haseebullah appeared in 20 T20 matches for Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL 2016 season, amassing 403 runs at a 25.18 average. On his PSL debut, he had smashed a 29-ball fifty against the Karachi Kings.

Pakistan skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi anticipated that the ball would turn because the T20I was played on the same surface as the Friday match.

With the addition of Rachin Ravindra and Ish Sodhi in place of Daryl Mitchell and Adam Milne, New Zealand made two changes. In an effort to control his workload, Mitchell was substituted out of this game by New Zealand. Devon Conway, who was pulled out of the fourth Twenty20 International due to Covid-19, “still has symptoms at the moment,” according to a statement made earlier by head coach Gary Stead.

With four easy victories this series, New Zealand is going for a perfect 5-0 sweep. Glenn Phillips and Mitchell were the stars of the last game played at the same location, when the hosts chased down Pakistan’s goal of 159 in 18.1 overs with half-centuries.

The following players represent New Zealand: Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Phillips, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert (wk), and Mitchell Santner (capt).

Pakistan: Shaheen Afridi (capt), Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Zaman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz