New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has praised the Pakistan cricket team ahead of the upcoming five-match T20I series starting on January 12 in Auckland. Williamson, who led New Zealand to the T20 World Cup final in 2021, expressed that playing against Pakistan is always a fantastic opportunity, highlighting their status as one of the best teams globally.
He acknowledged Pakistan’s recent success in a tri-series in New Zealand before the 2022 T20 World Cup and sees the upcoming series as a great opportunity for both teams. Notably, Shaheen Shah Afridi will be leading Pakistan in the T20 format following Babar Azam’s decision to step down from captaincy in all formats.
The squads for the series are as follows:
Pakistan:
Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain),Aamir Jamal,Azam Khan (wk),Haseebullah (wk),Abbas Afridi,Mohammad Rizwan (vc/wk),Babar Azam,Fakhar Zaman,Mohammad Rizwan (vc/wk),Haris Rauf,Iftikhar Ahmed,Mohammad Nawaz,Zaman Khan,Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan,Saim Ayub,Usama Mir
New Zealand:
Kane Williamson (captain) [matches 1, 2, 4, and 5],Finn Allen,Josh Clarkson [match 3 only],Mark Chapman,Lockie Ferguson [matches 3, 4, and 5],Devon Conway (wk),Glenn Phillips,Matt Henry,Adam Milne,Daryl Mitchell,Tim Southee,Ben Sears [matches 1 and 2],Mitchell Santner,Tim Seifert (wk),Ish Sodhi.
The schedule for Pakistan’s 2024 tour to New Zealand is as follows:
First match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 12 January, Auckland
Second match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 14 January, Hamilton
Third match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 17 January, Dunedin
Fourth match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 19 January, Christchurch
Fifth match: New Zealand vs Pakistan, 21 January, Christchurch.
