Pakisthan tour of new zealand

2024.01.12

@charith

Santner ruled out of series opener with Covid

Pakisthan won the toss and choose to bowl first

In the opening Twenty20 International at Eden Park on Friday, Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan’s new captain, chose to start New Zealand first.

Mitchell Santner’s withdrawal from the opening game of the series due to a positive Covid test has come as a late blow to New Zealand. NZC said that Santner had taken a self-isolation in his hotel room and was going to make his own way to Hamilton, the site of the second Twenty20 international match. As a result, Ben Sears joins the side and Adam Milne bats at number seven, giving New Zealand a somewhat longer tail.

In the meanwhile, Pakistan has separated Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, bringing Babar down to three. They have given quick bowler Abbas Afridi and legspinner Usama Mir their first-ever debuts. After making an appearance in a Twenty20 International in March of last year, Azam Khan has rejoined the team as the chosen wicketkeeper, with Fakhar Zaman dropping to four.

Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson (capt), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and three others are the New Zealanders. 6 Adam Milne, 7 Mark Chapman, 8 Matthew Henry Ben Sears, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Tim Southee

Pakistan: 1 Mohammad Rizwan, 2 Iftikhar Ahmed, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Fakhar Zaman, and 5 Saim Ayub 8 Usama Mir, 7 Aamir Jamal, and 6 Azam Khan (wk), 10 Abbas Afridi, 11 Haris Rauf, and 9 Shaheen Afridi (captain).