New Zealand’s batter Henry Nicholls lauded Pakistan’s security arrangements saying that everyone in the team feels incredibly safe with the five-match T20I series set to begin on Thursday.
The 2024 T20 World Cup is two months away and teams have to finalise their squad for the mega event. The five T20Is the Black Caps will play would be their last outing before the tournament begins on June 1 and they would have to find out the best combination.
In 2021, New Zealand refused to play in Pakistan at the last moment due to security concerns. However, since then, they have visited the country thrice and Nicholls stated that he had always felt safe here.
"We seem to have been there a bit in the last few years. From the players' point of view, we feel incredibly safe. We've been looked after really well by Pakistan when we've been there. Each time I've been there, I felt safe and the security has been top-notch," Nicholls said in an interview with the Times of India.
Remember, New Zealand's squad touched down in Islamabad on Sunday with key players like Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner and Kane Williamson not present due to Indian Premier League commitments.
On the other hand, Pakistan's Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim, who recently reversed their retirement, have made a comeback in the Green Shirts' squad for the series.
Irfan Khan and Usman Khan also got the nod of selectors after impressive performances in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season nine.
Pakistan squad
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (wk), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Irfan Khan Niazi, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan
Reserves: Haseebullah, Mohammad Ali, Agha Salman, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Wasim Jr.
New Zealand squad
Michael Bracewell (c), Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Dean Foxcroft, Ben Lister, Cole McConchie, Jimmy Neesham, Will O’Rourke, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert (WK), Ish Sodhi, Tom Blundell, Zak Foulkes.
Pakistan vs New Zealand T20I series schedule
April 18 — 1st T20I, Rawalpindi
April 20 — 2nd T20I, Rawalpindi
April 21 — 3rd T20I, Rawalpindi
April 25 — 4th T20I, Lahore
April 27 — 5th T20I, Lahore
