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Pak vs NZ: Pakistan's playing XI announced for T20I series opener today

Rizwan and Saim will open the T20I match against New Zealand with Babar Azam playing one down

By Web Desk

January 12, 2024

Shaheen Shah Afridi addresses a press conference on January 11, 2024. — PCB

Pakistan's final playing eleven have been announced to take on New Zealand in a five-match T20I series. The two teams will play the first Twenty20 International today at Eden Park in Auckland today.

The first ball of the match will be bowled at 1110 PKT.

Today’s match will mark left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi’s first assignment as captain, having taken over the reins from Babar Azam.

Rizwan and Saim will open the match with Babar Azam playing one down. Fakhar, Iftikhar and Azam Khan will show up at the crease on the fourth, fifth and sixth positions, respectively. Aamir and Usama will bat on seventh and eighth number.

Fourth-ranked Pakistan last played T20Is back in April 2023, when they faced New Zealand at home for a five-match series played in Lahore and Rawalpindi. Wicketkeepe-batter Mohammad Rizwan, who has been named Shaheen’s vice-captain, was Pakistan’s leading run-getter in the series. Right-arm pacer Haris Rauf was the most successful bowler during that assignment.

Spinner Abrar Ahmed, who was initially part of the squad, has been ruled out owing to an injury he sustained last month during Pakistan’s Test tour of Australia.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, in the pre-series press conference, said: “It is a great honour and a proud moment to be captaining Pakistan. We are a good T20 side and that has reflected in our performances the past few years. We have done well in World Cups but have not been able to finish as we wanted. We will focus on getting the results we want in big tournaments.

“We have 17 games before the World Cup, which is later this year. We want to make sure we have our combination locked in time for that but we also want to ensure that we have a strong bench, in case of injuries during the tournament. We will be testing our younger talent and rotating the players so that by the time we play the series in England, we have clarity about our combination.”

Pakistan’s Playing XI: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain, wicket-keeper), Aamir Jamal, Abbas Afridi (debutant), Azam Khan (wicket-keeper), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, and Usama Mir (debutant).