[VIDEOS/PICTURES] Pakistan tour of New Zealand to play 5-match T20I series (2024)

[MenInG]

Pictures from Day 2 of the T20I tour of NZ prep camp

 

[MenInG]

Day 3 of the training camp continues

 

[Rana]

I reiterate

Anyone who places Fakhar at number 4 knows Jack all about cricket

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

Rest of the squad seems fine but Farhan seems like another weird pick in the squad. I get it, he had a nice T20 tournament but his career SR in T20's sit at just 128 and almost all the batsmen selected are openers besides Ifti & Azam.

I am not gonna kill the selectors on this because there is virtually no decent middle order options available outside of Ifti & Azam but realistically, I don't see how Farhan is going to open over Saim/Fakhar/Babar/Rizwan.

Pakistan need to shift all these openers they have available internationally & domestically into middle order batsmen depending on their skill set. Players that are great vs spin in domestic should be batting 4-5.

Wahab said in the press conference they want to try Farhan in the middle order

 

[FearlessRoar]

Entering the fourth day of rigorous training at the Lahore camp, Pakistan intensifies preparations for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand

 

[Suleiman]

Ah yes our official sport, t20.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Media advisory for T20I series camp

The pre-New Zealand departure camp for the players in Pakistan will commence at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore tomorrow. The camp is scheduled to run from 29 December to 3 January, with the team set to depart for Auckland via Dubai from Lahore on Wednesday, 3 January evening.

Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haseebullah Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed and Sahibzada Farhan will attend the camp.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has also invited nine additional players in the camp. They are: Ahmed Shehzad, Arif Yaqoob, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Imran, Omair Bin Yousaf, Sajjad Ali Jnr and Shahab Khan. These additional players will be part of the camp for four days and will disperse after training on 1 January to take part in the ongoing President’s Trophy Grade – I.

Pakistan cricket team camp changes.

Tomorrow is the last day of Pakistan cricket team's ongoing camp in Lahore.

Six players in T20 squad Azam Khan, Haseebullah Khan, Abbas Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Sahibzada Farhan will participate in the training session tomorrow.

Camp Commandant Yasser Arafat will hold a media talk at the end of the camp tomorrow.

The Pakistan team will leave for Dubai on January 3 from Lahore to Auckland.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Pakistan T20I squad members are set to depart later tonight

Six members of the Pakistan T20I squad will depart later tonight for Auckland via Dubai from Lahore to feature in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand.

The five-match T20I series will be played from 12 to 21 January in Auckland, Hamilton, Dunedin and Christchurch.

The six members of the squad include Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haseebullah Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed and Sahibzada Farhan. These six players, along with nine additional players – Ahmed Shehzad, Arif Yaqoob, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Imran, Omair Bin Yousaf, Sajjad Ali Jnr and Shahab Khan – took part in the series preparation camp.

These players underwent a four-day camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, where under High-Performance Coach and camp commandant Yasir Arafat, they featured in two match scenarios and different practice sessions to equip themselves with the modern T20 cricket skills. The six players of the 16-member squad also trained for the fifth day on Tuesday, when the camp concluded.

At the camp's conclusion, Yasir Arafat, talking to the media, said, “We tried to engage these players in quality training with an eye on the requirements of modern-day cricket. The batting, fielding and bowling drills were arranged to emulate the attacking teams and how they dominate their oppositions.

“Players also took part in two scenario matches. We have tried to equip these players with the skills that help in high-pressure games."

“The T20 World Cup is not that far away. We will keep on exploring new options as well to solidify our bench strength. What I loved about this camp was the way PCB rewarded the domestic performers who did well in the National T20 Cup. The senior players like Fakhar Zaman and Iftikhar Ahmed mingled with the newcomers and it was a great learning experience for them.”

Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz, who has been released from the Test squad, has joined fellow bowlers – Zaman Khan, Haris Rauf and Usama Mir – to train for the T20I series. All four players will depart from Australia for Auckland on 5 January, where the remaining players named in the T20 squad will join them.

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

 

[FearlessRoar]

Six players included in the Pakistan T20 squad, Azam Khan, Haseebullah Khan, Abbas Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Sahibzada Farhan left for the airport from the team hotel.

High performance coach Yasser Arafat also left for the airport along with the players.

The Pakistan team will leave for Auckland via Dubai by private airline at 9:30 tonight from Lahore.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Azam Khan is desperate for a chance. Can he make his case strong for the place in the t20 World cup squad?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1742803045543551136

 

[CerebralPatriot]

My XI
1. Saim
2. Farhan
3. Fakhar
4. Azam K
5. Iftikhar
6. Jamal
7. Nawaz
8. Abrar
9. Shaheen
10. Rauf
11. Zaman

Overall a pathetic squad selected by PCB. Injustice done to Sarfraz, Saud, Omair Yusuf, Danish Aziz and Mir Hamza

 

[Scoop_shot]

My XI
1. Saim
2. Farhan
3. Fakhar
4. Azam K
5. Iftikhar
6. Jamal
7. Nawaz
8. Abrar
9. Shaheen
10. Rauf
11. Zaman

Overall a pathetic squad selected by PCB. Injustice done to Sarfraz, Saud, Omair Yusuf, Danish Aziz and Mir Hamza

huh?? Sarfraz and saud and aziz and Mir Hamza are not t20 players man
Sarfraz and aziz are finished

 

[Scoop_shot]

since when has Sarfraz been a t20 player

 

[CerebralPatriot]

since when has Sarfraz been a t20 player

If Rizwan can be considered a T20 player than Sarfraz is easily one

 

[Haider18]

My Starting XI

Fakhar Zaman
Saim Ayub
Mo Rizwan / Babar Azam
Sahibzada Farhan
Azam Khan
Iftikhar Ahmed / Haseebullah
Aamir Jamal / Abbas Afridi
Usama Mir / Mo Nawaz
Shaheen Afridi / Abbas Afridi
Mo Wasim Jr / Haris Rauf
Zaman Khan

Would prefer Sahibzada to play as opener but Wahab mentioned he’ll play middle order.
Would prefer Aamir to play all 5 games but he’s probably tired from the test series.
Hopefully Saim, Azam, Sahibzada get to play all 5.
Is there any word on Abrar’s replacement?

 

[The Bald Eagle]

If Rizwan can be considered a T20 player than Sarfraz is easily one

Couldn't pick your point bro. No offence but you did a mismatch above.

 

[Scoop_shot]

only

My Starting XI

Fakhar Zaman
Saim Ayub
Mo Rizwan / Babar Azam
Sahibzada Farhan
Azam Khan
Iftikhar Ahmed / Haseebullah
Aamir Jamal / Abbas Afridi
Usama Mir / Mo Nawaz
Shaheen Afridi / Abbas Afridi
Mo Wasim Jr / Haris Rauf
Zaman Khan

Would prefer Sahibzada to play as opener but Wahab mentioned he’ll play middle order.
Would prefer Aamir to play all 5 games but he’s probably tired from the test series.
Hopefully Saim, Azam, Sahibzada get to play all 5.
Is there any word on Abrar’s replacement?

Mehran Mumtaz will be called as replacement of abrar

 

[Scoop_shot]

If Rizwan can be considered a T20 player than Sarfraz is easily one

ok
1 Sarfraz is 37 and his international career is finished in white ball
2 Sarfraz drops catches 60% of the time which
3 misses stumping chances
4 average of 27 of Sarfraz
5 rizwan or rizman I should say he does not drop. catches as much as Sarfraz
6 m rizwan has been the top scorer in last 3 PSL seasons
7 Sarfraz has not performed in t20 in ages
8 rizwan has countless 70-80s vs top level teams like SENA and India

 

[RidiculousMan]

Fairly strong pace attack. I believe Mehran is in to replace Abrar. A good choice.

However in terms of spin all rounder options. We only have Nawaz. Now Nawaz needs to buckle up and deliver both with the bat and the ball because there's no apparent competition to him since Imad retired.

 

[Scoop_shot]

Fairly strong pace attack. I believe Mehran is in to replace Abrar. A good choice.

However in terms of spin all rounder options. We only have Nawaz. Now Nawaz needs to buckle up and deliver both with the bat and the ball because there's no apparent competition to him since Imad retired.

we have Shadab for t20s he is one of the best T20 ALLROUNDERS he was the best Pakistani player in last 2 t20 wc's

 

[RidiculousMan]

we have Shadab for t20s he is one of the best T20 ALLROUNDERS he was the best Pakistani player in last 2 t20 wc's

He's a good T20 player in my honest opinion but he's not in this squad. Is he?

 

[Scoop_shot]

He's a good T20 player in my honest opinion but he's not in this squad. Is he?

injured

 

[Kianig89]

We failed in real cricket now in this format we will fluke a couple of wins, hopefully players like Saim will be given a go to get their confidence up and not the senior brigade to make merry of NZ micky mouse grounds

 

[shamaan]

Reports suggest babar will be rested and that is the right move.

Farhaan
Fakhar
Saim
Rizwan
Azam Khan
Iftkhar
Jamal
Abbas Afrdi
Shaheen Afridi
Abrar Ahmed
Zaman Khan

Wasim Jnr we already know that hes a good bowler so we must give a chance to Zaman and Abbas.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Reports suggest babar will be rested and that is the right move.

Farhaan
Fakhar
Saim
Rizwan
Azam Khan
Iftkhar
Jamal
Abbas Afrdi
Shaheen Afridi
Abrar Ahmed
Zaman Khan

Wasim Jnr we already know that hes a good bowler so we must give a chance to Zaman and Abbas.

Babar is not making his place as an opener for the World Cup. That's just my prediction. Maybe he can be a good no. 3.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Babar is not making his place as an opener for the World Cup. That's just my prediction. Maybe he can be a good no. 3.

I want him to continue as an opener in T20Is. He needs rhythm to get going.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Finally the format where Babar, Shaheen and Rizwan can all join in and pad to hearts content.

 

[Kianig89]

Hopefully youngsters will be given opportunities no point boasting all seniors for meaningless t20s....

Fakhar
Saim
Farhan
Rizwan
Azam
Iftikhar
Jamal
Abbas
SSA
WasimJr.
Zaman

 

[Mohraheem]

I reiterate

Anyone who places Fakhar at number 4 knows Jack all about cricket

*Anyone who selected Ifthikhar knows jack all about cricket

 

[Mohraheem]

Hopefully youngsters will be given opportunities no point boasting all seniors for meaningless t20s....

Fakhar
Saim
Farhan
Rizwan
Azam
Iftikhar
Jamal
Abbas
SSA
WasimJr.
Zaman

Thn what the hell ifthikar doing. He ain’t even youngster nor he performed in World Cup

 

[Maher96]

If we rest Babar and rizwan for any games they could experiment, but with them seem very settled. I feel we could have had Salman in T20’s. For the last year or so he is one of the boys who has impressed a lot.

Saim
Fakhar
Babar
Rizwan
Ifti
Azam
Nawaz
Jamal
Shaheen
Haris
Zaman

 

[BouncerGuy]

Pakistan Cricket Team Update:

Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Aamer Jamal, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Wasim Jr., who are part of Pakistan’s T20I squad, will depart for New Zealand from Australia tomorrow.

At the conclusion of the Test series against Australia, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sajid Khan, Mir Hamza, Salman Ali Agha, Hassan Ali, and Faheem Ashraf will return home tomorrow.​

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Pakistan Cricket Team Update.

Pakistan cricket team reached Auckland from Sydney
Pakistan team will start training from tomorrow

The first T20I between Pakistan and New Zealand will be played in Auckland on January 12.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

Thn what the hell ifthikar doing. He ain’t even youngster nor he performed in World Cup

Your mixing formats.
The world cup was 50 overs.
This is T20s where he is a capable performer with Bat and Ball.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

This series needs to be about giving the new players maximum opportunity to express themselves with confidence.

Fakhar and Saim need all 5 games to forge an opening partnership combination.

I suspect one of Babar or Riz will open in the carib with spin likely on those pitches.

The US is an unknown quantity.

Ideally Babar and Riz should of been rested for this series but now as they are in the squad I would play them in the first and last games to give them game time.

Rauf and Shaheen can rotate and Abbas afridi can be switched around with one of the other bowlers.

Azam and Haseeb should both be given chances with the gloves throughout the series.

My X1 without Babar and Riz for the NZ series.

1 Fakhar
2 Saim
3 Farhan
4 Haseebullah (WK)
5 Azam K (WK)
6 Ifti
7 Aamir Jamal
8 Shaheen (C)
9 Usama
10 Was Jr
11 Zaman

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

My XI
1. Saim
2. Farhan
3. Fakhar
4. Azam K
5. Iftikhar
6. Jamal
7. Nawaz
8. Abrar
9. Shaheen
10. Rauf
11. Zaman

Overall a pathetic squad selected by PCB. Injustice done to Sarfraz, Saud, Omair Yusuf, Danish Aziz and Mir Hamza

Bar Omair and to a lesser extent Danish the others are not T20 players so what injustice are you talking about.

Omair and Danish need a Big PSL to warrant a chance in the T20I set up.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

R

If Rizwan can be considered a T20 player than Sarfraz is easily one

Riz is an opener who has won games with the Bat and sarfraz bats down the order where you need power hitters in T20is.

A ridiculous comparison.

 

[sweep_shot]

Whatever the outcome is, I expect this series to be entertaining and competitive.

Pakistan have had NZ's number in T20 format for quite a while. Pakistan won the T-20 tri-series in NZ last time.

 

[ahmadharis1]

I want all the young and new players to play, don't care if we lost 5-0

 

[BouncerGuy]

Update on the Pakistan Cricket Squad:

The Pakistan Cricket squad had a practice session in Auckland. All the players participated in the practice session. The practice session lasted for three hours.

The first T20 international between Pakistan and New Zealand will be played in Auckland on January 12

​

 

[RidiculousMan]

The more I think about the openers. The more Harris comes to mind. He's not in this squad and apparently already identified and resting.

Now with at least 5 openers touring in the series. It is expected that 2 of them will make opening slots theirs.

So the question then comes. Who will Harris replace? When will he even get an opportunity to open when WT20 will be so near? Will Wahab co. And management be dropping one of the openers for Harris?

 

[BouncerGuy]

Update on the Pakistan Cricket Squad:

The Pakistan Cricket squad had a practice session in Auckland. All the players participated in the practice session. The practice session lasted for three hours.

The first T20 international between Pakistan and New Zealand will be played in Auckland on January 12

View attachment 141141View attachment 141142View attachment 141144View attachment 141145View attachment 141146​

Some more glimpses of the Pakistan Squad's training session in Auckland.

 

[shamaan]

I want all the young and new players to play, don't care if we lost 5-0

Exaclty results dont matter for this tour.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Andre Adams confirmed as bowling coach for Pakistan T20 Series

Former BLACKCAP Andre Adams will join the BLACKCAPS support staff for the upcoming KFC T20 Series against Pakistan.

Adams will work as bowling coach for the five match series as part of head coach Gary Stead’s coaching group, which also features regular batting coach Luke Ronchi.

The decision follows Adams’ work as pace bowling coach for the WHITE FERNS, during the side’s 2023 tour to South Africa.

Adams first full day with the BLACKCAPS squad will be today in Auckland.

BLACKCAPS Strength and Conditioning Coach Chris Donaldson and Team Performance Manager Simon Insley will both take a break during the series against Pakistan, their roles being filled by Cricket Wellington’s Head of Athlete Development, Matt Long, and Central Districts High Performance Manager Dave Meiring, respectively.

The first KFC T20I against Pakistan is this Friday at Auckland’s Eden Park.

NZC​

 

[BouncerGuy]

Pakistan cricket team update:

The Pakistan cricket team has arrived in Hamilton from Auckland.

The second T20 international between Pakistan and New Zealand will be played in Hamilton on Sunday.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Young to replace Clarkson in squad for KFC T20I 3

Josh Clarkson will no longer join the BLACKCAPS squad ahead of the third match of the KFC T20 Series against Pakistan after being ruled out with a shoulder injury.

The injury suffered by Clarkson playing for the Central Stags in the Dream11 Super Smash means Will Young will now join the squad in preparation for the match at Dunedin’s University of Otago Oval.

Clarkson was set to join the squad for game three with captain Kane Williamson not traveling to Dunedin before joining the team again ahead of the final two matches of the series in Christchurch.

Young will join the squad after tomorrow’s match at Hamilton’s Seddon Park.

The teams travel to Dunedin on Monday from Hamilton.

NZC

 

[BouncerGuy]

The Pakistan cricket team update:

The Pakistan cricket team had a practice session in Dunedin. The practice session lasted for three hours. The third T20 international between Pakistan and New Zealand will be played on January 17 in Dunedin.


​

 

[BouncerGuy]

Shaheen Shah Afridi during 3rd T20I post-match presser:

“We are thinking about the combination that we can try at Christchurch. We will have a look at the pitch again. We will have to give chances because the new players are sitting on the bench. You have to try your bench. We are trying to make a team that will have the best 15 players in the T20 World Cup for us.”​

 

[Alter_Ego]

Ideal XI :
Saim
Farhan
Bobzy the king
Fakhar
Azam
Haseebullah
Nawaz(Mufti)
Abbas
Waseem
Afridi
Zaman

 

[BouncerGuy]

Hagley Oval double-header Selling Out | NZC reminds fans to keep their eye on the ball

Friday night’s fourth T20I between the BLACKCAPS and Pakistan at Hagley Oval has officially sold-out with the last of the 8,500 tickets snapped up this morning.

Christchurch fans are encouraged to get in quick for Sunday afternoon’s fifth and final match at the same venue with less than 1000 tickets remaining.

The KFC T20I series against Pakistan has drawn bumper crowds with the sold-out sign posted up in both Dunedin and Hamilton following more than 20,000 fans attending the series opener at Eden Park last Friday night.

NZC is also reminding fans about the importance of keeping their eye on the ball when attending matches.

Due to the high frequency of boundaries and particularly sixes in T20 cricket, and following Finn Allen’s 16 sixes in Dunedin yesterday, NZC is encouraging fans at venues to remain vigilant and engaged in the game to minimise the risk of being struck by a ball.

NZC​

 

[BouncerGuy]

Pakistan cricket team update:

The Pakistan cricket team has arrived in Christchurch from Dunedin.

The fourth T20 International between Pakistan and New Zealand will be played on January 19, and the fifth T20 International will be played on January 21 in Christchurch.​

​

 

[shamaan]

Amir now warrants a place in the xi he's a much clever bowler than the current bowlers in the squad.

Reaching the Final is a must otherwise its a total failure.

Saim
Rizwan
Babar
Fakhar
Azam Khan/Agha Salman
Iftikhar
Shadab
Imad
Shaheen
Amir
Naseem.

 

[Mohraheem]

Saim
Rizwan
Babar
Fakhar
Azam Khan
Agha Salman
Shadab
Imad
Shaheen
Amir
Naseem

Ifthikhar Water boy and kit cleaning duty