After a tough Test series down under against Australia which they lost 0-3, Pakistan are set to face New Zealand away from home in the five-match T20I series starting from January 12. This series is also the first assignment for Shaheen Afridi as the captain of the team even as the PCB has appointed wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan as the vice-captain in the shortest format of the game.
Babar Azam stepped down as captain across all formats after a disastrous ODI World Cup last year and having won Pakistan Super League (PSL) as captain of Lahore Qalandars, Shaheen got the top job. The left-arm pacer is also likely to lead Pakistan in the T20 World Cup unless things change dramatically in the next few months. For now though, Afridi will be concentrating on leading the team in New Zealand and will be assisted by Rizwan in the role.
Rizwan has played 85 T20Is for Pakistan so far amassing 2,797 runs, including one century and 25 half-centuries. He will most likely open the innings as well even though there has been criticism around his strike-rate alongside Babar Azam while opening the innings. Reacting to the appointment as vice-captain, Rizwan stated that he is looking forward to working with the new skipper and the coachin staff during the series.
"It is an honour to be named as the vice-captain of Pakistan Men’s T20I side. I am thankful to the PCB for entrusting me with this responsibility. I am looking forward to working closely with the captain, coaching staff, and my teammates to contribute to the team's success," Rizwan said.
Pakistan squad for New Zealand T20Is: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain and wicket-keeper), Aamir Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan (wicket-keeper), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wicket-keeper), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan
Schedule
1st T20 – 12 January 2024 at Eden Park, Auckland
2nd T20 – 14 January 2024 at Seddon Park, Hamilton
3rd T20 – 17 January 2024 at University Oval, Dunedin
4th T20 – 19 January 2024 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch
5th T20 – 21 January 2024 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch
