The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced a 17-member team for the T20 series against New Zealand. The series will consist of five matches and will be played in Rawalpindi and Lahore from April 18 to 27, with the New Zealand cricket team arriving in Pakistan on April 14. Babar Azam will lead the team which includes two new players, Usman Khan and Irfan Khan Niazi. Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir will return to international cricket, while five reserve players have also been included in the series.
The team’s composition is as follows:
- Babar Azam (c)
- Saeem Ayub
- Mohammad Rizwan
- Usman Khan
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Azam Khan
- Irfan Khan Niazi
- Shadab Khan
- Imad Wasim
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Naseem Shah
- Zaman Khan
- Mohammad Amir
- Abbas Afridi
- Osama Mir
- Fakhar Zaman
- Abrar Ahmed.
The team’s reserve players are Haseebullah, Muhammad Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Agha Salman, and Wasim Jr. The selection committee has stated that they will give as many players as possible a chance under the rotation policy, to prepare a strong combination for the T20 World Cup.
Irfan Niazi, one of the new players, expressed his pleasure at joining the Pakistan team for the first time. He vowed to give his best performance and make the most of the opportunity. Usman Khan, the other new player, said, “I am happy that the selectors have given me a chance in the series against New Zealand. It is a matter of national pride to represent the country.”
The team’s batting coach, Muhammad Yusuf, praised Usman and Irfan for their good performance and expressed confidence that they will live up to the trust of the captain and selectors. It is worth noting that former Test cricketer Azhar Mehmood has been appointed as the head coach of the Pakistan team for the T20 series against New Zealand.
