Babar Azam to lead T20I, ODI squads against New Zealand

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Babar Azam will once again take the responsibilities as captain in the upcoming T20I and ODI series against New Zealand.

A selection committee meeting will be called next week, in which the T20I and ODI squad will be announced for New Zealand series after consultation with Babar Azam. The meeting is expected to take place on April 3rd or 4th.

According to the sources, despite the failure in the series against Afghanistan, only a few changes are expected for the T20I matches against New Zealand.

The strategy of giving another chance to younger players can be adopted for the T20I series. Usama Mir, Haseebullah, and Abrar Ahmed are also in contention for the series.

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However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials have decided to avoid more experiments for the ODI matches. Keeping the preparations for the 2023 World Cup in mind, Pakistan will enter the field with a strong combination in the presence of senior players.

A training camp is likely to be held at the National Cricket Academy from April 7th or 8th, where the T20I and ODI squad players will train together.

After the departure of the selected players for the T20I series, the rest of the players will continue to train in the National Cricket Academy for the ODI matches.

Due to Ramadan, there is a proposed plan to train at night. The final decision will be made by the team management after consultation with the team's captain.

Pakistan v New Zealand schedule:

14 Apr - 1st T20I, Lahore

15 Apr – 2nd T20I, Lahore

17 Apr – 3rd T20I, Lahore

20 Apr – 4th T20I, Rawalpindi

24 Apr – 5th T20I, Rawalpindi

26 Apr – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi

30 Apr – 2nd ODI, Karachi

3 May – 3rd ODI, Karachi

5 May – 4th ODI, Karachi

7 May – 5th ODI, Karachi