The series begins at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Sunday.
Game two is in Dunedin, where Bracewell played his early cricket for Otago before transferring to Wellington.
The hard-hitting left-hander shone for the Black Caps during the ICC Champions Trophy.
He is one of seven players from that squad set to join the T20 camp in Christchurch on Friday.
T20 regulars Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and white-ball captain Mitchell Santner are unavailable due to IPL commitments.
Kane Williamson made himself unavailable, while Bevon Jacobs, who was part of the squad for the recent T20 series against Sri Lanka, was unavailable due to IPL commitments.
The 34-year-old Bracewell, who captained the Black Caps on their white-ball tour of Pakistan in April last year, said he relished the challenge of leading the side.
"Mitch Santner’s done a great job since taking over as white-ball captain and I’ll really just be trying to build on his good work and create an enjoyable environment for the guys to perform in," Bracewell said.
"Pakistan are always a dangerous short-form side with lots of power and pace and we know they’ll be hurting after an early exit in the Champions Trophy."
Ish Sodhi has been recalled, while pace bowler Ben Sears has recovered from the torn hamstring which forced him to return home on the eve of the Champions Trophy.
Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke have been included for the first three games of the series only. They will be replaced by Matt Henry and Zak Foulkes for the final two games.
Henry’s inclusion is subject to fitness. He was the leading wicket-taker at the Champions Trophy despite missing the final through injury.
Finn Allen, Jimmy Neesham and Tim Seifert have also been included in the squad after confirming their availability for next year’s ICC T20 World Cup.
The trio were unavailable for the recent home series against Sri Lanka due to their overseas T20 league commitments.
Tim Robinson continues his run at the top of the T20 order, while wicket-keeper Mitch Hay retains his spot.
Selector Sam Wells said the Pakistan series was important for several reasons.
"We’re certainly starting to narrow our sights on the ICC T20 World Cup in India next February and March,” he said.
"We made it clear in our planning and communication with players that availability for that tournament and the buildup to it was required to be considered for this series against Pakistan.
"Half of this squad is only returning from the Champions Trophy on Wednesday and so we’re going to need to manage those players really carefully."
Each game of the five-match series will be played as a double-header with the T20 World Champion White Ferns, who will play games against Sri Lanka and Australia.
Black Caps
T20 squad
Michael Bracewell (captain), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes (games 4-5), Mitch Hay, Matt Henry (games 4-5), Kyle Jamieson (games 1-3), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Will O’Rourke (games 1-3), Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi — APL
