Pakistan have been hit by a major blow as skipper Babar Azam will be without wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan in the last two T20Is of the series against New Zealand.
The 31-year-old suffered discomfort in his hamstring during the third T20I against New Zealand in Rawalpindi on Sunday.
The PCB Medical Panel yesterday received the Radiology reports of Rizwan and emerging batter Irfan Khan. After reviewing the reports with consultation of the Pakistan team management, it has been decided to rest the two players from Thursday’s and Saturday’s T20Is against New Zealand.
Meanwhile, there have been questions regarding Rizwan's participation in the series against Ireland. Babar is expecting his main player to recover before the series.
"Whenever a main player gets injured, a team misses him. The way he has served Pakistan and performances he has produced are in front of everyone," Babar said in a presser ahead of the fourth T20I.
"It is not a major injury and we are trying to save him as much as we can. He will undergo rehabilitation at the NCA and I am confident he will get fit before the Ireland series," he added.
It must be noted that the Men in Green will face Ireland at Clontarf in Dublin on the 10th, 12th, and 14th May 2024.
Remember, it is the third major blow for the hosts since Azam Khan was the first player to get ruled out of the series before the first T20I. He experienced discomfort in his right knee and right calf muscle.
Azam had undergone a radiology test which confirmed that he had suffered a Grade One tear in his right calf muscle after which he was advised to rest for 10 days.
Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Haseebullah was named as his replacement.
It must be noted that the remaining two T20Is of the series are on 25 and 27 April, respectively. The series is currently level at 1-1.
The series is being broadcast live on Pakistan’s first sports channel Geo Super.
- Mohammad Rizwan
- Babar Azam
