Spin bowler Abrar Ahmed, wicketkeeper Haseebullah Khan, and pace bowler Abbas Afridi secured their first call-up to Pakistan's T20I squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand. Wahab Riaz, heading the national men's selection committee, unveiled a 17-member squad for the T20I series, scheduled from January 12 to January 21, 2024.
Shaheen Afridi will lead the T20I team for the first time following Babar Azam's recent resignation from the shortest format. Unfortunately, leg spinner Shadab Khan will miss the series due to an ankle injury sustained during the National T20 Cup.
Abrar Ahmed, presently part of Pakistan's Test squad in Australia, joins leg-spinner Usama Mir, all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz, and Iftikhar Ahmed to strengthen the spin attack in New Zealand.
However, wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Haris will sit out this series, having been part of the previous home T20I series against New Zealand earlier in the year. Meanwhile, opener Sahibzada Farhan earns a recall to the T20I squad based on his outstanding performance in the National T20 Cup.
Explosive wicketkeeper batter Azam Khan also returns to the T20I side after missing out on the previous series against New Zealand.
The Pakistan squad for the New Zealand tour includes: Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Zaman Khan, Aamir Jamal, Azam Khan (wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Haseebullah Khan (wk), and Abbas Afridi.
The schedule for the series is as follows: First match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, January 12, Auckland Second match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, January 14, Hamilton Third match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, January 17, Dunedin Fourth match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, January 19, Christchurch Fifth match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, January 21, Christchurch.
