Pakistan have been dealt a major blow as their star wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has been ruled out for the remainder of the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand with a suspected hamstring injury.
Notably, Rizwan is not the only player who will miss the remaining two games of the series. Though it has not been specified, it is understood that batting allrounder Mohammad Irfan Khan has also picked up a hamstring niggle and therefore will accompany Rizwan to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore for rehabilitation.
"PCB Medical Panel yesterday received Radiology reports of Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Irfan Khan. After reviewing the reports and in consultation with the Pakistan team management, it has been decided to rest the two players from Thursday’s and Saturday’s T20Is against New Zealand," a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) read.
These two players will join Azam Khan at the NCA. Azam was ruled out of the series after suffering a grade one tear in his right calf muscle before the start of the first T20I IN Rawalpindi.
Rizwan will likely be a big miss behind the stumps and in front of it. He had scored an unbeaten 45-run knock off just 34 balls to take Pakistan home in the low-scoring second T20I.
The wicketkeeper-batter was batting on 22 off 21 balls when he felt some discomfort and asked for medical attention in the 13th over of the 3rd T20I at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday (April 21).
The treatment on the field couldn't alleviate his problem and therefore he was forced to walk out of the field of play.
Though Pakistan have two wicketkeeping options in their squad in the form of Usman Khan and Haseebullah, they are short on experience and it may cost them dearly. Significantly, Pakistan have not named a replacement for either Irfan or Rizwan.
Both teams will be taking on each other in the fourth T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday (April 25) with the series on the line.
Pakistan squad:
Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Haseebullah, Usman Khan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan
New Zealand squad:
Tim Seifert (wk), Tim Robinson, Dean Foxcroft, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Michael Bracewell (c), Cole McConchie, Zakary Foulkes, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, William ORourke, Ben Sears, Ben Lister, Josh Clarkson, Tom Blundell
