Wellington - Pakistan won the toss and put New Zealand in to bat in their opening one-day international on a blustery day in Wellington on Saturday.
SCORECARD: New Zealand v Pakistan, 1st ODI
Showers are also forecast for later in the day posing challenging conditions for both sides.
Pakistan have been on a high since winning the ICC Champions Trophy last year and skipper Sarfraz Ahmed said that victory had given them confidence.
"We're playing as a team, not as individuals and that is why we are playing really well."
New Zealand are playing two spinners, Todd Astle and Mitchell Santner, and captain Kane Williamson said the pitch seemed to have runs in it.
"It looks like a good surface. It looks like a day two Test surface."
Pakistan are on a nine-match winning streak but over the past three years they have struggled against New Zealand losing 2-0 in two separate series in New Zealand and being beaten 3-2 in the United Arab Emirates.
Teams:
New Zealand
Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Todd Astle, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Pakistan
Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Rumman Rae
Umpires: Wayne Knights (NZL), Ruchira Palliyaguruge (SRI)
TV Umpire: Ray Illingworth (ENG)
Match referee: Richie Richardson (WIS)