Pakistan wins toss, bowls in third T20. New Zealand leads series 2-0

Pakistan wins toss, bowls in third T20. New Zealand leads series 2-0

DUNEDIN, New Zealand (AP) — Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat Wednesday in the third Twenty20 international against New Zealand at the University Oval.

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For the third time, captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has chosen to field after winning the toss. On both previous occasions, the tourists failed in run chases.

Shaheen hoped a fresh pitch and overcast conditions in Dunedin might help the Pakistan bowlers early.

New Zealand leads the five-match series 2-0 after winning the first match by 46 runs and the second by 21 runs.

Mitchell Santner will captain New Zealand in the absence of Kane Williamson, who will miss the rest of the series after injuring his hamstring while batting Sunday.

Tim Seifert returns in place of Williamson while Matt Henry replaces Adam Milne and Lockie Ferguson comes back in place of Ben Sears.

Fast bowler Abbas Afridi was unavailable for Pakistan because of injury. His place will be taken by Zaman Khan while Mohammad Nwaz and Mohammad Wasim also join the Pakistan lineup.

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New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitch Santner (captain), Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson.

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi (captain), Mohammad Wasim, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket