The first T20I between Pakistan and New Zealand in Rawalpindi was abandoned due to rain on Thursday.

The match was halted just before Shaheen Afridi was set to deliver the opening ball, as the drizzle intensified.

Despite a considerable wait, the match was eventually condensed into a five-over contest. Shaheen Afridi made an immediate impact by dismissing Tim Robinson with only his second delivery. However, the rain returned, forcing the match to be abandoned.

Earlier, New Zealand, having won the toss, opted to bat first and handed debut to Josh Clarkson.

Meanwhile, Pakistan introduced three debutants - Usman Khan, Irfan Khan Niazi, and Abrar Ahmed.

Playing XIs announced:

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmed

New Zealand: Michael Bracewell (c), Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Dean Foxcroft, Ben Lister, James Neesham, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi