Mitchell Santner of New Zealand missed the opening game after testing positive for COVID, while Pakistani pacer Mohammad Wasim Jr. was unable to play in the first Twenty20 International owing to an Achilles injury.
On game day, New Zealand Cricket made the announcement, stating that Mitchell Santner would be included in the team for the second Twenty20 International at Hamilton’s Seddon Park.
In the meantime, Abbas Afridi made his debut by coming in for Wasim in the starting lineup. As the cricket player, Umar Gul, the bowling coach, gave him the cap. The pacer expressed his happiness that his ambition had come true and expressed his intention to continue helping Pakistan win matches in the future.
“I want to express gratitude to God. Everyone who plays sports dreams of representing their country, and I am one of those players whose aspirations has now come true. “I hope I can produce match-winning performances just like he did in the past,” Afridi stated in a video distributed by Cricket Pakistan. “I wanted Umar Gul to hand me the cap.”
Abbas Afridi receives his T20I debut cap from @mdk_gul 🧢🙌 #NZvPAK | #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/B3Ta6dp2LA
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) January 12, 2024
Lockie Ferguson will play in the remaining two T20IÂ matches for New Zealand.
For the series’ final two games, star Kiwi pacer Lockie Ferguson will be a member of the national team. The 32-year-old, who is presently participating in the Super Smash for Auckland, has taken five wickets in three games. With four wickets against the Northern Districts in his most recent game, the speedster is clearly in form right now.
In the first T20I, Ben Sears is taking his place. The 25-year-old has taken nine wickets at an economy of 7.40 in nine T20I games. The pacer may make the T20 World Cup roster if he does well in the current series. But his spot might be in threat because Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson are expected back.
Teams:
New Zealand
(Playing XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway (w), Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, and Ben Sears
Pakistan
(Playing XI): Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (w), Aamer Jamal, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi (c), Abbas Afridi, and Haris Rauf
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