Pakistan men’s cricket team Chief Selector Wahab Riaz held a press conference, along with consultant selector Kamran Akmal, where he provided an injury update on all-rounder Shadab Khan, who was not named in the Green Shirts’ 17-man squad for the New Zealand T20I series in January.
Shadab, 25, suffered a foot injury in the recently-held National T20 Cup and has been sidelined since then.
Wahab confirmed that Shadab sustained an ankle injury and he requires two weeks of rehab.
“Shadab Khan is a very important member of Pakistan T20 cricket. Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle injury (during the National T20) and requires two further weeks of rehab. After that, he'll be available to bowl," Wahab said during the presser.
Pakistan’s squad:
Shaheen Afridi (c), Aamir Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan (wk), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mojammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan.
Remember, the Pakistan cricket team is currently in Australia to play a three-match Test series in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle which will conclude on January 7.
Just five days after the conclusion of the Test series, Pakistan is scheduled to play their first T20I match against New Zealand on January 12.
After skipper Babar Azam stepped down as the captain of all formats, Shaheen Shah Afridi was named the skipper of the shorter format by the PCB.
Shaheen — who is considered one of the finest bowlers in the world, especially with the new ball — will have his first assignment as the captain against the runner-ups of the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Schedule of Pakistan’s 2024 tour to New Zealand
First match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 12 January, Auckland
Second match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 14 January, Hamilton
Third match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 17 January, Dunedin
Fourth match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 19 January, Christchurch
Fifth match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 21 January, Christchurch.
