Pakistan’s T20I team for New Zealand has been announced. The team for the five-match Twenty20 International series against New Zealand next month was revealed on Tuesday by chief selector Wahab Riaz.
After succeeding Babar Azam, pacer Shaheen Afridi will take charge of the T20I team for the first time.
Young players Abbas Afridi, Saim Ayub, Haseebullah Khan, and Sahibzada Farhan are also part of the 17-man roster.
The team also has Azam Khan, a destructive batter, in addition to players like Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, and Muhammad Rizwan.
“Haseebullah has excelled in white-ball cricket and contributed some significant middle-order innings in the PSL. He opens in domestic cricket, but we need to develop players for numbers 4–7 in order to adjust as a team,” stated Riaz.
“Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Faheem Ashraf were given chances but they couldn’t create that type of impact, so now we’re in a building phase to see which players can fit into these positions.”
In addition, Riaz said that all-rounder Shadab Khan had been injured and that wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris had been excluded.
“Muhammad Haris has been rested for this series. We are aware of his potential, and he will be included in our future plans. We were interested in a few homegrown First Class cricket players.
“One of the key players for Pakistan in T20 cricket is Shadab Khan. Regretfully, he sustained an ankle injury [during the National T20] and needs two more weeks of physical therapy. He’ll be available to bowl after that.
Schedule of Pakistan’s 2024 tour to New Zealand
- First match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 12 January, Auckland
- Second match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 14 January, Hamilton
- Third match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 17 January, Dunedin
- Fourth match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 19 January, Christchurch
- Fifth match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 21 January, Christchurch.
