Pakistan has announced the 15-man squad for the first T20I against New Zealand on Friday. As expected, Shadab Khan has been announced as the captain of the team after being cleared by the medical team.
Shadab is named the captain in absence of Babar Azam, who fractured his thumb in a practice session on Sunday, ruling him out of the entire T20I series.
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“Leading Pakistan side is an honor for me,” said Shadab. “We will miss Babar Azam but this provides a good opportunity for youngsters to shine in the series.”
“We are eager to play in front of the crowds once again,” he added.
Pakistan announced a 17-man squad for the three-match T20I series against New Zealand last week and two players have been left out of the first T20I.
Musa Khan and Usman Qadir have been ignored for the first T20I, but they can be called up if required.
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Squad for the first T20I:
| Shadab Khan (C) | Abdullah Shafique | Faheem Ashraf | Haider Ali | Haris Rauf |
| Hussain Talat | Iftikhar Ahmed | Imad Wasim | Khushdil Shah | Mohammad Hafeez |
| Mohammad Hasnain | Mohammad Rizwan (wk) | Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk) | Shaheen Afridi | Wahab Riaz |
