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When Pakistan captain Babar Azam takes the field in the first T20I against New Zealand on Friday, he will become only the third player from his country to play 100 T20Is. Babar, who has drawn 99 matches with Shahid Afridi, will join veteran all-rounders Shoaib Malik (123) and Mohammad Hafiz (119) in the elite list of Pakistani players who have played 100 or more matches in the shortest game format. So far, Babar has amassed 3,355 runs on the T20I with the help of two centuries and 30 fifties.
Speaking of the 1st T20I, the team led by Babar Azam will be determined to put on a show for their fans and bounce back quickly from a disappointing defeat to Afghanistan in their previous series.
Skipper Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman and Haris Rauf also returned to the team after missing out on the Afghan T20I series in Sharjah. Pakistan will be delighted to see their T20I star players back in action after being sorely missed in their 2-1 loss to Afghanistan.
New Zealand is facing a major challenge. Not only will they play T20I for the first time in Pakistan, but they will also be missing several key players, including permanent skipper Kane Williamson.
With so many players currently participating in the IPL, the inexperienced Black Caps will be led by Tom Latham. However, they can take heart from their performance in the ODI series against Pakistan three months ago, where they won 2-1 despite having a much stronger squad at their disposal.
Ingredients:
Pakistan T20I squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayoub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Massoud and Zaman Khan.
New Zealand T20I line-up: Tom Latham (c), Chad Bowes, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Adam Milne, Cole McConchey, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Nisham, Rachin Ravindra, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodie, Blair Tickner and Will Young.
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