NZ vs PAK: Abrar Ahmed Ruled Out Of New Zealand T20I Series

Pakistan leg spinner Abrar Ahmed who was already ruled out of the Australia Test series with an ankle injury is now ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand with a knee injury.

Problems mount for the national cricket team as he is a specialist spinner and will miss an important T20I series against New Zealand heading into the T20 World Cup 2024.

Meanwhile, the PCB is evaluating Abrar’s fitness and has reached the conclusion that the spinner will need rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. Chief Selector Wahab Riaz has confirmed Abrar Ahmed’s return, emphasizing the leg-spinner’s recovery process for future engagements.

Abrar Ahmed To Miss T20I Series Against New Zealand Due To Knee Injury

Abrar was initially included in Pakistan’s Test squad for the ongoing Test series against Australia. However, he first injured his ankle and was ruled out of the first Test. He was unfit to play the second Test and has now copeed up with a knee injury to be ruled out of the New Zealand T20I series.

With Pakistan gearing up for the T20 World, injuries to key players have pegged the team back. Shaheen Afridi who is the T20I skipper is not included in the playing XI for the third and final Test. Pakistan have added Saim Ayub and spinner Said Khan for the third and final Test.

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Pakistan headed into the Test series against Australia at the number one position of the points table and has now slipped to the fifth position on the points table. They lost the first Test by 360 runs and the second by 79 runs.

Pakistan’s loss at MCG was their 16th consecutive loss in Test matches in Australia. Heading into the third Test, they have added a specialist spinner after playing with an all-pace attack in the first two Tests.

The SCG Test meanwhile is the last and final Test match of David Warner‘s career. He’s just over 300 runs short of getting to 9000 runs in his Test career. He will certainly eye up that milestone. The southpaw has also retired from ODI cricket but is open to playing in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s for the T20I series against New Zealand has been announced already. Babar Azam stepped down as the Pakistan captain across formats after the World Cup. Pakistan’s performance in the tournament was reviewed by the PCB who then decided to change the entire coaching and administrative setup.

The PCB also changed with Mohammad Hafeez taking over the team director role from Mickey Arthur and former cricketer Wahab Riaz being appointed as the new PCB chief selector. Shaheen Afridi is the new T20I skipper who will be leading his team for the first time in T20Is.

Pakistan T20I Squad For New Zealand T20Is: Shaheen Afridi (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Haseebullah Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed (Withdrawn), Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan

Pakistan Tour of New Zealand 2024, Schedule

January 12: New Zealand vs Pakistan – First T20I in Auckland

January 14: New Zealand vs Pakistan – Second T20I in Hamilton

January 17: New Zealand vs Pakistan – Third T20I in Dunedin

January 19: New Zealand vs Pakistan – Fourth T20I in Christchurch

January 21: New Zealand vs Pakistan – Fifth T20I in Christchurch

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