NZ T20I Series: Shadab Khan injured, Haris takes break

For the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter Mohammed Haris has been rested, and spinner Shadab Khan has been ruled out due to an ankle injury. Wahab Riaz, Pakistan’s chief selector, confirmed the injury news and said Shadab will require at least “two weeks for rehab” before becoming available.

Haris was rested because “we want to use our pool of players” for the upcoming series, Riaz continued.
Shadab, a white-ball specialist, is a vital component of Pakistan’s T20 cricket team. Regretfully, he suffered an ankle twist during the season, requiring an additional two weeks of rehabilitation. After that he will be free to bowl. Haris is rested because we want to use our pool of players and we saw Harris’ potential because he’s part of our future plans. There were some elite performers, according to ESPNcricinfo, which quoted Wahab Riaz.

The chief selector for Pakistan also declared that pacer Naseem Shah is fit again. However, they didn’t choose him because they didn’t want to overburden the 20-year-old speedster. “Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab, and Ihsanullah were unfit. The good news is that Hasnain and Naseem are back to normal. Naseem is receiving treatment at the cricket academy because we don’t want to put too much pressure on him and we want him to be ready for the PSL in 2019. Hasnain has also been called back to the academy so that we can evaluate him. Ihsanullah will, regrettably, require more time, and as of right now, I’m not sure if he will participate in the PSL.

Following his ankle injury, Shadab will also visit the academy and receive rehabilitation,” he continued. Starting on January 12 and ending on January 21, the 20-over series will take place. The dates of the second Twenty20 International match are set for January 14, the third for January 17, and the fourth for January 19.
Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (Wk), Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir, and Zaman Khan are the members of Pakistan’s T20I squad that will play New Zealand.