Pakistan Opt to Bat As Gul Rested, Akhtar Dropped

Christchurch: Pakistan will bat after winning the toss in the third Twenty20 in Christchurch, as they attempt to restore pride and gain some winning momentum ahead of the Test series.

Both skippers will be happy at the toss result as Ross Taylor said he would have bowled first due to the grass cover on the pitch.

Shahid Afridi shuffles down the order to bat at his regular position for Pakistan, as Ahmed Shehzad moves up to open. Umar Gul rested at ahead of Test series while Shoaib Akhtar have been left out of the side, after having had indifferent outings in Hamilton on Tuesday, with left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman and fast bowler Tanvir Ahmed replacing them.

New Zealand too, have rung in the changes, as Dean Brownlie and Adam Milne return to the team at the expense of Luke Woodcock and Ian Butler.

Scores	Upcoming	Results
South Africa vs Pakistan - 3rd ODI 4th Test - Australia v India - December 26-30, 23:30 GMT 1st Test - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan - December 26-30, 07:30 GMT 3rd ODI - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan at Harare Afghanistan won by 8 wickets (with 139 balls remaining) 3rd T20I - West Indies v Bangladesh at St Vincent Bangladesh won by 80 runs

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