Pakistan will look to make it two wins on the bounce, while New Zealand will look to fightback in the series when the two teams lock horns in the 2nd ODI in Sharjah on Friday.
The men in green pulled off a decent chase in the first one-day international to take the 1-0 lead in this five-match series, and the designated home side will be confident of another victory.
After the bowlers restricted New Zealand to just 246 for seven, which the Kiwis managed only thanks to a wonderful century from Ross Taylor, Pakistan made heavy weather of the chase, before eventually prevailing in the final over.
Haris Sohail, who made an unbeaten 85, and Shahid Afridi (65) were the heroes in that chase, stitching together a vital century partnership to guide their side home, while Sarfraz Ahmed should also be given props for his quickfire 26.
While the win will give them confidence, Pakistan will also be worried about the top order, with the home team losing five wicket for just 86 runs in the first one-dayer.
"It was difficult," admitted Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq after the win on Monday. "It's obvious that when you lose six batsmen, you are out of the game for a bit. But the way Sarfraz played and shifted the momentum, that brought back hopes of winning the game.
"After that, Shahid Afridi and Haris handled the pressure very well. They played sensibly and in the manner that was required. They didn't play loose shots but they took sensible risks and tried to bat through till the end and that was the partnership that won us the match."
While a victory usually means keeping the same team, Misbah revealed Pakistan would continue experimenting with their playing XI, with the skipper desperate to zone in on the ideal combination ahead of the World Cup.
"We are trying different things. We experimented in this game, also," added Misbah. "We want to check all the players, also check different things in our bowling because this is the last series before the World Cup
"So the big goal is that we get a good combination before the World Cup and give all the players here a chance, so that we have an idea of the World Cup team. So we will try to bring in changes in the next few games as well.
"We are trying to win the series but the major thinking is on the World Cup in Australia. And keeping that in mind we are doing these things, that's why we played Sarfraz down the order. So in this series, the focus is going to be to get our team together for Australia."
New Zealand will also know they need to bat better, with only Taylor really putting his hand up – the next highest score was 27 from Daniel Vettori – and stand-in skipper Kane Williamson was all praise for his standout performer.
"He's a world-class performer," Williamson said of Taylor. "He's shown that every time he comes on to the park and he's really enjoying his cricket which is great for us
"It was an amazing knock, the ebb and flow of momentum he went through within his own innings, to come out the back and play a knock like that was fantastic."
Where to Watch Live
The 2nd ODI in Sharjah is set to begin at 3 pm local time (4.30 pm IST, 4 pm PST, 11 am GMT) with live coverage in India on Ten Cricket and Ten HD. Ten Sports and PTV Sports will show the match live in Pakistan.
The 1st ODI can be watched via live streaming in India on Ten Sports Live, while viewers in Pakistan can watch the action on the same website or PTV Sports Live.
Watch the game in the US on Willow TV, while viewers can also live stream the ODI on Willow TV Online. Audiences in Africa can watch the action on SuperSport or SuperSport online, while viewers in the Middle East can catch the match live on Ten Cricket UAE.
