Pakistan may go with two wrist-spinners

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan will go into the opening One-Day International against New Zealand here at the Pindi Stadium with at least two wrist-spinners as the team management named 12-member squad for Friday outing.

Apart from vice-captain Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir and Zahid Mehmood have also been included in the probables list for the first One-Dayer.

At least one more wrist-spinner apart from Shadab will be seen bowling against Kiwis in the ODI. One cannot even rule out inclusion of all the three wrist-spinners in the series opener but that largely depends on the condition of the wicket in day-night match.

“The pitch will be dry to start with as well as helpful for the spinners but you never know in day-night game what would be there. Seamers’ role becomes all the more important under the lights under these heavy conditions. So, to go with three spinners and two seamers will never be a good option,” a curator at the Pindi Stadium said.

The likely option will be three seamers and two wrist-spinners for the Pakistan team, meaning one of the wrist-spinners from Usman and Zahid will be the 12th man.

Three pacers — Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali and Haris Rauf — are expected to take the field as seam options. There was no room for Abdullah Shafiq, Wasim Junior, Shahnawaz Dhani or Faheem Ashraf in the playing XI for the opening One-Dayer.

“It is a three-match series and we may see some changes for the next two matches. At the moment, we see that these 12 are the best for the series opener,” a team official said.

Pakistan played a scenario-based practice match at the Pindi Stadium Wednesday with all the batsmen selected in the 12-member team were seen batting and all bowlers were given opportunity to bowl. The practice match saw around 45 overs of action going into the Wednesday evening.

Captain Babar Azam was given all the powers to finalise 12-member probables list for the opener.

“Babar has all the powers to shortlist names and then to name the playing XI,” a PCB official said.

New Zealand team members, however, had an off day Wednesday as the team members preferred staying in hotel rooms and around the areas especially meant for them.

12-member squad for the opening ODI: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imamul Haq, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakil, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir and Zahid Mehmood.