Pakistan V New Zealand: 5th ODI: Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

With the one-day series between Pakistan and New Zealand all square after four matches, there is everything to play for when the two sides meet for the final clash in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Date: Friday, December 19

Start time: 11 a.m. GMT/3 p.m. local time

Live on: Ten Sports (Middle East/Asia), Sky Sport (New Zealand), ZEE Cinema (UK)

Weather: According to BBC Weather, it's going to be a mild day by United Arab Emirates standards. Temperatures of around 24 degrees Celsius are expected during the day, cooling to around 15 degrees Celsius in the evening. 

Overview

New Zealand completed a narrow seven-run win over Pakistan in the fourth ODI. Kane Williamson led the way with 123 off 105 balls. That knock took his overall runs for the series to 249 and his average to 83.00. Martin Guptill and Dean Brownlie also contributed, with 58 and 42, respectively, as the Black Caps notched up 299 in their 50 overs.

For Pakistan, Younis Khan was the most impressive, with his 103 off 117. Shahid Afridi also chipped in with 49 off just 25 balls, but in the end, the target of 300 was just out of reach.

The venue for the final ODI is the same as the fourth, so players should be more familiar with the conditions now.

Concerning  for New Zealand is that they have only twice scored more than 300 against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates. This happened once in 2009 and then back in 1990. Modern one-day cricket generally needs scores of above 300 to be sure of victory, but the Black Caps have showed this series that winning is possible with lower scores.

This means that predicting an outcome for the fifth and final ODI is somewhat of a challenge. Both teams have a few players in form, and both teams have been somewhat unpredictable.

If the previous matches are anything to go by, the fifth and final match will be tremendously exciting. With series spoils to play for as well as a World Cup to look forward to, expect some fireworks from all involved.

Key players

Pakistan

Shahid Afridi has hit some form in this series and is the top run-scorer for Pakistan. He has 192 runs in four games at an average of 48.00. He's hit two fifties during that time and his lower-order prowess is something Pakistan can bank on.

New Zealand

Most of New Zealand's bowlers have struggled during this series and all but one have an average of over 23.00. Matt Henry has taken eight wickets at an average of 22.75, with an economy rate of 6.27. The Black Caps need him to continue his dual role of attacking in order to subdue some of the fierce Pakistan batsmen.

Squads

Pakistan: Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Mohammad Irfan, Umar Akmal, Zulfiqar Babar, Bilawal Bhatti, Sohail Tanvir, Nasir Jamshed

New Zealand: Dean Brownlie, Anton Devcich, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Daniel Vettori, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Martin Guptill, Corey Anderson, Mitchell McClenaghan, Matt Henry