AUCKLAND: Pakistan Cricket Board has announced the Test team who will be playing against New Zealand.
Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq will not be available for the first five-day match due to injury. The first Test between the two teams will be played on 26th December. Opener Imran Butt has been included in the 17-member Test squad and this will be his first international Test match.
The team includes Shadab Khan as the skipper, Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Wahab Riaz.
Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq did not play the first Test due to a thumb injury but the decision to join the second Test will also be taken in due course. In this regard, Shadab Khan earlier said he is honoured to lead the Pakistan team for the first time.
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“Babar Azam will be definitely missed, but his absence is the best opportunity for new players to showcase their talents,” Shadab Khan said. “The team should be ready to show an aggressive performance like Babar Azam.”
Speaking Eden Park, which is New Zealand’s largest sports stadium, Shadab Khan said he already has the experience of playing there. “This stadium has shorter boundaries,” he said. “I am looking forward to playing there once again in the presence of spectators.”
