The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is thinking of altering the Pakistan batting order in the upcoming New Zealand series to give more chances to younger players before the T20 World Cup 2024, according to sources from Geo News on Thursday.
The team management and selectors are planning to let Saim Ayub open, either alongside Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan. If Babar opens, Rizwan will bat one down. But if Rizwan takes the opening slot, Babar will play at number three.
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There’s talk about resting these star players for a couple of matches in the series. Fakhar Zaman might come in at number four, followed by Iftikhar Ahmed and Azam Khan. Rizwan is set to field while Azam Khan takes on the wicket-keeping duties.
The famed Babar-Rizwan opening pair has delivered numerous victories for Pakistan, but there’s a debate about sticking with the same order or giving new faces a chance.
The PCB has introduced several fresh players for the New Zealand series, led by the new skipper Shaheen Afridi. The 17-member squad includes youngsters like Abbas Afridi, Saim Ayub, Haseebullah Khan, and Sahibzada Farhan.
Powerful batter Azam Khan joins the squad alongside stalwarts like Fakhar Zaman, Babar, and Rizwan.
Looking ahead, the T20 World Cup is set for June next year, and teams are gearing up for the ICC tournament, scheduled in the West Indies and the United States.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand Tour:
- Shaheen Afridi (c)
- Aamir Jamal
- Abbas Afridi
- Abrar Ahmed
- Azam Khan (wk)
- Babar Azam
- Fakhar Zaman
- Haris Rauf
- Haseebullah (wk)
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
- Mohammad Wasim Jnr
- Sahibzada Farhan
- Saim Ayub
- Usama Mir
- Zaman Khan
The schedule for Pakistan’s 2024 tour to New Zealand:
- 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.
