PCB faces criticism for removing Haris from the NZ T20I tour. After one of the best T20 batsmen for the Green Shirts, Mohammad Haris, was left out of the national team for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) received harsh criticism on social media on Tuesday.
At a press conference in Lahore earlier today, PCB Chief Selector Wahab Riaz and his advisor Kamran Akmal revealed Pakistan’s team for the T20I series against the Kiwis.
In a relatively short time, Haris became one of the best T20 batters and demonstrated his abilities in tournaments across the globe.
Fans were taken aback by the 22-year-old’s absence from the squad since they had anticipated seeing the right-handed, brave batter in action given the circumstances in New Zealand.
“Muhammad Haris has been rested for this series. We are aware of his potential, and he will be included in our future plans. We rested Haris from this tour because we wanted to expand our pool of players and offer a chance to certain domestic talents in First Class cricket,” Wahab explained.
Pakistan’s squad:
Shaheen Afridi (c), Aamir Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan (wk), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mojammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan.
Recall that the three-match Test series between Pakistan and Australia is part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023–25 cycle, which ends on January 7.
Pakistan’s first Twenty20 International (T20I) match against New Zealand is set for January 12, just five days after the Test series ends.
The PCB appointed Shaheen Shah Afridi as the skipper of the shorter format after skipper Babar Azam resigned as the captain of all formats.
