Pakistan Cricket Team Begins a New Era with Shahin Afridi as Captain

Pakistan Cricket Team is set to embark on a new era as they play their first T20 match under the captaincy of Shahin Afridi today. Following Pakistan’s poor performance in the 2023 World Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board appointed Shahin Afridi as the captain of the T20 team. Today, they will face New Zealand in the first T20 of the five-match series in Auckland.

Rumors suggest that Pakistan might make several changes to their playing XI. Sam Ayyub and Mohammad Rizwan are expected to open the batting instead of Babar Azam. This would be an opportunity for Shahin to test his new approach.

Meanwhile, New Zealand, playing in front of their home crowd, welcomes back several senior players. Devon Conway, who took a break during the series against Bangladesh, returns to open the inning alongside Fin Allen. Regular captain Ken Williamson and the injured star fast bowler Matt Henry are also fit and available for selection. Henry is likely to feature in the playing XI today.

Pakistan’s bowling department is currently in good form with the likes of Harris Rauf, Zaman Khan, Mohammad Waseem Jr., Amer Jamal, Usama Mir, and Mohammad Nawaz. The spin department features Usama Mir and Mohammad Nawaz. Abraar Ahmed is also part of the squad.

Pakistan’s probable playing XI: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sam Ayyub, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Amer Jamal, Mohammad Nawaz, Shahin Afridi (c), Harris Rauf, Usama Mir, and Zaman Khan.

New Zealand’s probable playing XI: Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Fin Allen, Ken Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, and Adam Milne.