Karachi: After suffering a fracture in his right thumb during the practice session on Sunday morning, Pakistan captain Babar Azam was omitted from the New Zealand T20Is.
Babar will not be able to engage in nets for at least 12 days, as per the information, therefore, he will not be eligible for the T20Is which are soon going to be played in Auckland, Hamilton, and Napier, respectively, for the 18, 20, and 22 December.
In the meantime, Vice-Captain Shadab Khan of Pakistan T20I is also carrying a groin niggle, which reduced him to batting only in net sessions on Sunday.
The day after Imam-ul-Haq had also broken his left thumb during a throw-down session, the Pakistani skipper sustained the wound.
Pakistani head coach Misbah-ul-Haq also shared his opinions on the new developments, saying, “Injuries are part of sports but it is incredibly frustrating to lose a remarkable player like Babar Azam for the T20Is”, “yet this opens up an opportunity for the other talented players to play their part.” he added.
The squad for T20Is New Zealand includes:
Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Musa Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz, Shadab Khan (Captain), Abdullah Shafique. Babar Azam Azam (withdrawn due to injury)
Pakistan Shaheens for the four-day New Zealand ‘A’ match:
Azhar Ali, Danish Aziz, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah, Zafar Gohar, and Zeeshan Malik. Rohail Nazir (captain), Abid Ali, Amad Butt, Imam-ul-Haq (withdrawn due to injury)