Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan is set to continue as captain of Pakistan in New Zealand, as Babar Azam has been ruled out of the upcoming second and final Test against the Kiwis starting Sunday (January 3) at the Hagley Oval.
Babar, Pakistan’s regular all-format captain, has not played on the ongoing tour of New Zealand – missing 3-match T20I series and first Test, since breaking a thumb during a practice session after completing COVID-19-enforced 14-day quarantine on arrival in Christchurch.
Now, Pakistan’s talismanic batsman will also miss the second Test and final game of the New Zealand tour as he is still feeling slight pain in his thumb despite having had a full-fledge training session on Friday with the national squad – which led the team management to opt against taking any risk.
On Saturday, January 2, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that Babar is ruled out of the final Test against New Zealand as the tourists announced the squad for the match.
In an official statement, Pakistan Team Doctor Dr. Sohail Saleem: “We have seen improvement in Babar Azam's injury but he is yet to fully recover. He is our captain and the most important batsman in the lineup, so we do not want to take any risk.”
Dr. Saleem further added, “The medical team is constantly reviewing his injury and we are hopeful he will be available for the home series against South Africa.”
The tourists suffered a 101-run defeat in the first Boxing Day Test and they would be certainly hoping for a comeback in the final Test at the Hagley Oval.
Here’s the Pakistan squad for the second Test against New Zealand:
Mohammad Rizwan (captain, wicketkeeper), Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah, and Zafar Gohar
(With PCB/PTI Inputs)
