For the forthcoming white-ball tour, Mohammad Yousuf, Pakistan’s batting coach, is scheduled to visit New Zealand. On Tuesday, March 11, he had first opted out because of his daughter’s health, but he changed his mind just a few hours later.
The team will play the Kiwis in a five-match T20I series followed by three ODIs, and the renowned former cricket player Mohammad Yousuf has promised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that he will be with them. On Wednesday, he will leave with the team.
Pakistan’s first task since their dismal Champions Trophy 2025 campaign will be this one. They suffered defeats to India and New Zealand before rain forced the cancellation of their last group-stage match against Bangladesh. Following the disaster, both cricket fans and former players harshly criticised the team captained by Mohammad Rizwan.
Pakistan’s lacklustre Champions Trophy performance was followed by the hiring of Mohammad Yousuf as batting coach.
The PCB kept assistant coach Azhar Mahmood and temporary head coach Aaqib Javed for the tour, therefore the former captain was the sole new member of the support staff. In order to appoint a permanent coach for the team, the PCB also announced that it will post a job posting for the head coach role following the trip.
India Today cited a PCB official as stating, “Mohammad Yousuf has informed the board that his daughter is now in better health, so he is available to travel with the team to New Zealand.”
As their best players focus on the IPL, New Zealand will field a smaller lineup.
However, New Zealand advanced to the finals, where they lost to India by four wickets on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Since they will be playing for their individual teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the majority of New Zealand cricket’s best players will not be participating in the matches against Pakistan. In lieu of regular captain Mitchell Santner, who has joined the five-time IPL champion Mumbai Indians, Michael Bracewell will captain the Blackcaps in the Twenty20 Internationals.
On Sunday, March 16, the T20I series begins at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval. The final four games in the series will be played in Dunedin (March 18), Auckland (March 21), Mount Maunganui (March 23), and Wellington (March 26). In the meantime, Mount Maunganui (April 5), Hamilton (April 2), and Napier (March 29) will host the ODIs.
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