Six members of the Pakistan T20I squad will depart later tonight from Lahore, heading to Auckland via Dubai, to participate in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand.
The series is scheduled from 12th to 21st January and will take place across Auckland, Hamilton, Dunedin, and Christchurch.
The squad comprises Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haseebullah Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Sahibzada Farhan.
These six players, along with nine others – Ahmed Shehzad, Arif Yaqoob, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Imran, Omair Bin Yousaf, Sajjad Ali Jnr, and Shahab Khan – participated in the series preparation camp.
During the four-day camp at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium, overseen by High-Performance Coach and camp commandant Yasir Arafat, the players engaged in two match scenarios and various practice sessions, honing their skills in modern T20 cricket. The 16-member squad, including the six aforementioned players, continued training on the camp's concluding fifth day, Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Nawaz, the left-arm spinner released from the Test squad, has joined fellow bowlers Zaman Khan, Haris Rauf, and Usama Mir to prepare for the T20I series. They'll depart from Australia on 5th January for Auckland, where they'll meet the rest of the T20 squad.
Meanwhile, the squad currently engaged in the third Test against Australia will leave after the conclusion of the match.
Full squad: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan (wicket-keeper), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wicket-keeper), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan
Full schedule:
1st T20 – 12 January 2024 at Eden Park, Auckland
2nd T20 – 14 January 2024 at Seddon Park, Hamilton
3rd T20 – 17 January 2024 at University Oval, Dunedin
4th T20 – 19 January 2024 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch
5th T20 – 21 January 2024 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch