Mohammad Amir Snubbed Again As Pakistan Retain Winning Combination For New Zealand T20Is

Mohammad Amir was once again ignored by the Pakistan selectors, who on Monday named an unchanged side for the three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series against New Zealand. The selectors put faith in the winning combination that whitewashed Australia 3-0 in the recently-concluded T20I series in United Arab Emirates. The same 15-member squad means experienced pacers Amir and Wahab Riaz continue to be left out of the team.

On Sunday, opener Babar Azam struck a half-century and leg-spinner Shadab Khan claimed three wickets as Pakistan beat Australia by 33 runs in the final T20I in Dubai to register their first whitewash against Australia in a limited over series.

Pakistan face New Zealand in the three-match series with the first in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, followed by the last two in Dubai on Friday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, New Zealand have added second specialist spinner to their T20I squad, with left-armer Ajaz Patel drafted in from New Zealand A side.

New Zealand's new coach Gary Stead said Patel was on form and would offer the necessary balance to the side considering the conditions in the UAE.

"It's no secret that spin is crucial in this part of the world and with the wickets on the slower side, we've taken the option of a second spinner to bring our squad up to 14-players," said Stead.

Squads:

Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shanwari, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Waqas Maqsood, Faheem Ashraf.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.

(With AFP inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

Pakistan Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team New Zealand Cricket Team Mohammad Amir Wahab Riaz Cricket