Synopsis
Pakistan's cricket team has reached Christchurch in preparation for their T20I series against New Zealand, starting March 16. The squad will engage in five T20Is and three ODIs, marking their first white-ball series after a disappointing ICC Champions Trophy.Key Takeaways
- Pakistan team arrived in Christchurch for T20I series.
- First white-ball series after ICC Champions Trophy exit.
- Salman Agha appointed as T20I captain.
- Mohammad Rizwan leads the ODI side.
- Aqib Javed remains interim head coach.
Christchurch, March 13 (NationPress) The Pakistan cricket team reached Christchurch on Thursday in preparation for their T20I series opener against New Zealand on March 16. The team is scheduled to compete in five T20Is and three ODIs during their three-week journey.
This marks Pakistan's inaugural white-ball series following a disappointing performance in the home ICC Champions Trophy, where they could not secure a single victory and faced an early elimination from the tournament. The team suffered defeats against New Zealand and their arch-rivals India, with their match against Bangladesh being abandoned due to rain in Rawalpindi.
In the T20I matches, Pakistan will be captained by Salman Agha, with Shadab Khan serving as vice-captain. Three uncapped players – Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz, and Mohammad Ali – have been included in the squad due to the absence of senior players such as Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in this format.
Rizwan will retain his role as ODI captain, while Salman will assist him as vice-captain for the three scheduled 50-over matches from March 29 to April 5.
The decision to appoint Salman and Shadab as T20I captain and vice-captain respectively, is aimed at preparing for two significant upcoming tournaments - the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 (set for September 2025) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (taking place in February/March 2026). Salman previously led Pakistan in a T20I series against Zimbabwe last year, achieving a 2-1 victory, as noted by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
As Pakistan gears up for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, they are set to engage in a minimum of five T20Is during the ACC Asia Cup 2025 and will face Bangladesh (home, May), West Indies (away, July), Afghanistan (home, August), Ireland (home, September), South Africa (home, September/October), Sri Lanka (home, November), and Australia (home, January 2026).
Rizwan will continue to lead the ODI squad as Pakistan prepares for the ICC Men’s 50-over Cricket World Cup 2027, which is scheduled to be held in Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe in October/November 2027.
Aqib Javed will remain as interim head coach for the New Zealand tour. His initial contract was set to end with the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, but he has been requested to extend his tenure while a permanent head coach is sought, while Mohammad Yousuf has been appointed as batting coach.
T20I squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousaf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, and Usman Khan.
ODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sufyan Moqim, and Tayyab Tahir.
