Misbah reveals reason behind leaving out Malik, Amir for New Zealand tour

Pakistan’s head coach Misbahul Haq, who selected the national squad for the last time as chief selector, has revealed the reason behind dropping experienced players Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Amir for the upcoming tour of New Zealand.

It must be noted that the duo were also not part of Pakistan’s squad for the recently concluded limited-overs home series against Zimbabwe.

Speaking at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Misbah said that the selectors want to invest in young players who are available for all three formats.

“Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Amir are not part of the white-ball matches as for this tour we have opted to invest, develop and focus on the promising and emerging players who are likely to be available to Pakistan for all formats,” said Misbah in a press conference.

“We have kept faith in Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz purely on the basis of their outstanding and consistent performances as well as the value they bring to the T20I squad,” he added.

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He also congratulated the youngsters selected in the squad, especially those who were included in the Pakistan Shaheens.

“I want to congratulate uncapped Amad Butt, Danish Aziz, Imran Butt and Rohail Nazir who have impressed the selectors with their form, technique, temperament and ability to secure places in the 35-player pool. However, these four players are amongst some other players who have been selected specifically for Shaheens as part of our strategy to build our bench strength,” he said.

He also opened up on why top performers of the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy were not included in the touring party.

“The ongoing domestic season has produced three highly impressive and consistent spinners in Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan and Zahid Mahmood. Unfortunately, due to New Zealand government regulations as part of their Covid-19 travel requirements, we had to provide a provisional list of 45 players to New Zealand Cricket by 12 October and, as such, these players missed out because at that time, the National T20 Cup was ongoing while the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy had not commenced,” he said.

“However, the positive side is we are now developing a strong pool of top-quality spinners who will challenge each other for places in the national sides that, in turn, will help in the overall performances in the sides,” he concluded.