Pakistan squad for T20 series against New Zealand announced

Lahore: The 17-member Pakistan team for the T20 series against New Zealand has been announced.

The five-match series will be played in Rawalpindi and Lahore from April 18 to 27, for which the New Zealand cricket team will arrive in Pakistan on April 14.

Two new players Usman Khan and Irfan Khan Niazi have been included in the team announced under the leadership of Babar Azam.

Apart from this, Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir will return to international cricket while five reserve players are also included in this series.

Pakistani team

Babar Azam (c), Saeem Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Irfan Khan Niazi, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Zaman Khan, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Osama Mir, Fakhar Zaman and Abrar Ahmed

Reserve players

The reserve players of the team include Haseebullah, Muhammad Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Agha Salman and Wasim Jr.

The selection committee stated that as many players as possible will be given a chance under the rotation policy in this series so that a strong combination can be prepared. The series is part of the preparation for the T20 World Cup.

Irfan Niazi stated that it is a pleasure to join the Pakistan team for the first time, I will focus on the best performance and try to take full advantage of the opportunity.

Usman Khan added: “I am happy that the selectors have given me a chance in the series against New Zealand, it is a matter of pride for any player to represent the country”.

Batting coach Muhammad Yusuf says that Usman and Irfan have made a place in the team with their good performance, he is sure that these two players will live up to the trust of the captain and selectors.

It is pertinent to note that former Test cricketer Azhar Mehmood has been appointed as the head coach of the Pakistan team for the T20 series against New Zealand.