An 18-member national cricket team has been announced for the T20 series against New Zealand, with former captains Sarfraz Ahmed and Hussain Talat returning.
It is pertinent to mention that the corona test of 8 members of the national team on the tour of New Zealand has been a cloud of danger on this tour, however, the chairman of the PCB Ehsan Mani had ruled out the possibility of this threat.
However, now an 18-member national team has been announced for 3 T20 matches.
According to a statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board, the first T20 International between the Green Shirts and the Kiwis will be played on December 18 in Auckland.
Pakistan name 18-player squad for New Zealand T20Is
— PCB Media (@TheRealPCBMedia) December 6, 2020
More: https://t.co/LyTFgh4GAz#HarHaalMainCricket pic.twitter.com/TGZbcdDyTZ
The other two matches of the series will be played on December 20 in Hamilton and December 22 in Napier.
The national cricket team is currently in quarantine at Christchurch and will leave for Queenstown on December 8 after completing its term, the statement said.
Former captain and wicketkeeper-batsmen Sarfraz Ahmed and Hussain Talat have returned to the 18-member national team against New Zealand, while Fakhr Zaman, Rohail Nazir and Zafar Gohar, who were part of the squad for the home series against Zimbabwe, have been left out of the squad.
On the other hand, Misbah-ul-Haq, head coach of the national cricket team, said that he was grateful to all the players and team management who showed the best of patience and endurance in difficult situations and played a role in reviving cricket activities during Code 19.
“We fully respect New Zealand’s laws designed for the health and safety of the people, but we do not deny the fact that the implementation of certain rules and regulations has affected our players mentally and physically,” he said.
He said that New Zealand is a strong team in their home conditions while they are the second best team in Tests and the sixth best in T20s.
The national T20 team consists of these players
Babar Azam (Captain), Shadab Khan (Vice Captain), Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdal Shah, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz, Fahim Ashraf, Musa Khan, Emad Wasim and Abdullah Shafiq.