ISLAMABAD: On Monday, Azhar Mahmood, Pakistan’s head coach for the team’s forthcoming five-match Twenty20 International series against New Zealand, will report to the team’s camp.
Three days prior to the first Twenty20 match at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar, who is based in London, is scheduled to come in Rawalpindi, according to a cricket board official who spoke with Dawn.
While the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) looks for international coaches to fill separate red-ball and white-ball responsibilities in the long run, Azhar was named head coach only for the series.
The comeback of seasoned all-rounder Imad Wasim and veteran pacer Muhammad Amir, who both revoked their retirements ahead of the series after discussions with the PCB, has given Pakistan hope.
Additionally, following his brilliant display at bat in the Pakistan Super League last month, the board was able to persuade United Arab Emirates-born Pakistani batter Usman Khan to forfeit his chance to play for his own nation and add him to the team.
The bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was relieved of his captaincy barely five matches into his tenure—a 4-1 loss to the BlackCaps on the road—will make a comeback as Pakistan’s captain when Babar Azam is reappointed.
Up to ten first-choice players, the majority of whom are playing in the ongoing Indian Premier League, have left New Zealand, who landed late on Saturday night, with a weakened team coming into the series compared to Pakistan’s full strength.
After a day off, the all-rounder Michael Bracewell will lead the Kiwis in their first practise session on Tuesday.
After Finn Allen and senior pacer Adam Milne sustained injuries on the eve of their departure, Tom Blundell and uncapped all-rounder Zak Foulkes were brought to the Kiwis team as late substitutes.
The series will begin with three matches in Rawalpindi, then to Lahore, and conclude with the final Twenty20 match on April 21. Pakistan’s preparation for the T20 World Cup, which will take place in the United States and the West Indies in June, officially began with this series.
For the third time in the previous seventeen months, New Zealand is traveling to Pakistan.
