17-member national Test squad has been announced for the Test series from New Zealand. Due to a broken thumb bone, captain Babar Azam was also ruled out of the first match of the Test series after the T20. In the first match, Muhammad Rizwan will captain the national Test team.
Babar Azam’s non-participation in the Test series against New Zealand is a big blow to the Pakistan team. Babar Azam’s right thumb and Imam-ul-Haq’s left thumb were fractured when the ball hit him during training in Queenstown last week. Due to unavailability, squad vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan will lead the national cricket team in the Test match starting on Saturday.
The first match of the Test series between Pakistan and New Zealand will start on December 26 at Mount Manganui. Rizwan will be the 33rd captain to lead Pakistan in the most important format of cricket. Sarfraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Shaun Masood, Fawad Alam, Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah, Muhammad Abbas, Imran Butt, Haris Sohail, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Fahim Ashraf.
National cricket team head coach Misbah-ul-Haq says he is disappointed to lose the T20 series against New Zealand, needs to hone his skills to improve his individual and team performance and improve as soon as possible. It will be better for us because 2021 is the busiest year and this year we have to participate in 2 big events.
“Unlike the T20 squad, our Test squad is a bit more experienced. We have experienced fast bowlers and batsmen. I hope we will play well in long-form cricket,” the head coach said. Undoubtedly, almost two weeks have passed since the start of the first Test match.
“Returning to a match without net sessions will be a tough decision for both him and the team. I am confident the other players will be able to put the failure of the T20 series behind them and perform well in the Test series,” he said.
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