The first T20 international match between New Zealand and Pakistan kicks off Thursday in Dubai.

It's the Black Caps vs. The Stars, and the two national squads will also begin an ODI series against each other in a few days as well.

Both teams will be using these matches to try out different lineup combinations, in the hopes of solidifying a knowledge of what works best as the World Cup draws closer.

If there's a favorite in this showdown, it's got to be New Zealand. The Black Caps are undefeated in their last five test series this year, including a momentous comeback against India. Pakistan is no slouch, however, boasting the top hree wicket-takers in international - Saeed Ajmal (85), Umar Gul (80) and Shahid Afridi (78).

You can stream a free live feed of the first T20 series match between New Zealand and Pakistan RIGHT HERE.

Pakistan Squad (projected)

1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Awais Zia, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Saad Nasim, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 7 Shahid Afridi (capt), 8 Anwar Ali/Umar Gul, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Raza Hasan, 11 Mohammad Irfan

New Zealand (projected)
1 Kane Williamson (capt), 2 James Neesham, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Corey Anderson, 6 Luke Ronchi (wk), 7 Daniel Vettori, 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Mitchell McClenaghan, 11 Adam Milne