LAHORE - Pakistan are set to face New Zealand in a five-match T20I series, with the first match scheduled to be played on 12 January at Eden Park in Auckland. First ball of the match will be bowled at 1110 PKT. This will mark left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi’s first assignment as captain, having taken over the reins from Babar Azam.
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. Wicketkeeper-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.
Leg-spinner Usama Mir, pacer Mohammad Abbas Afridi and wicketkeeper-batter Haseebullah are the uncapped players in the squad while the returning trio of Sahibzada Farhan, Azam Khan and Aamir Jamal also adds depth to the squad. 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 led Pakistan cricket team. We are a good T20 side and that has been reflected in our performances over 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,” he added.
During a press conference on Thursday, New Zealand Captain Kane Williamson said that Pakistan consistently presents a formidable challenge to the Kiwis and recalled how the Men in Green emerged triumphant in the tri-series preceding the 2022 T20 World Cup. “Pakistan is always a fantastic opportunity.
“They are consistently one of the best teams in the world and in all conditions, so to have them here in our backyard and having another contest is great. We played a tri-series series prior to the last World Cup. They won that and they obviously went a long way in that competition as well and so we know how strong they are as a team,” Williamson added. The NZ captain believes that a recent spell of poor form does not diminish the skills of Pakistan’s top batter, Babar Azam. “He [Babar] is a world class player. Cricket comes with a full range of feelings and emotions and part of it is navigating each day and looking to improve. He is one of the best players in the world and I am sure he will be doing that and that doesn’t change overnight. We know he is a big threat,” he added.