Pakistan put New Zealand into bat in 1st ODI

Wellington: Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl first on a blustery Monday in Wellington at the opening one-day international against New Zealand.

Captain Azhar Ali stacked his side with four fast bowlers, including Mohammad Amir, to try to make the most of the conditions.

"The wicket looks quite good and I think early on it will do something with the new ball," he said.

New Zealand go into the three-match ODI series buoyed by their 2-1 win in the recent Twenty20 series.

However, they will be without the injured Ross Taylor, with his slot at number five taken by Henry Nicholls.

It is the first ODI match at Wellington`s historic Basin Reserve Test venue since 2005 with the rugby ground at Westpac Stadium preferred for Cricket`s shorter versions over the past 11 years.

Teams:

New Zealand: Tom Latham, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (capt), Corey Anderson, Henry Nicholls, Grant Elliott, Mitchell Santner, Luke Ronchi, Matt Henry, Mitchell McClenaghan, Trent Boult

Pakistan: Azhar Ali (capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Sohaib Maqsood, Imad Wasim, Sarfraz Ahmed, Anwar Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Irfan

Umpires: Nigel Llong (ENG), Derek Walker (NZL)

TV umpire: Bruce Oxenford (AUS)

Match referee: David Boon (AUS)