Senior players of the Pakistan cricket team, including Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi, are likely to be given a break for the upcoming tour of New Zealand, according to sources.
The sources have revealed that the decision was made in the wake of the team’s underwhelming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign.
Moreover, Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Rizwan, and Haris Rauf themselves have requested the cricket board to give them rest for the series.
With key players sitting out, Pakistan’s captain for the tour is yet to be decided. Pakistan’s squad for the tour is expected to feature several fresh faces, giving opportunities to new talent in the absence of senior players.
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The series between Pakistan and New Zealand will run from 16 March 16 to 5 April, featuring five T20Is and three ODIs. The T20I series will kick off in Christchurch on 16 March, while the second match is scheduled to be played in Dunedin on 18 March.
The third match will be played in Auckland on 21 March, while the subsequent games are scheduled in Mount Maunganui and Wellington on 23 and 26 March, respectively.
Following the T20I series, the teams will travel to Napier for the first ODI, scheduled for 29 March. The second ODI will be played on 2 April in Hamilton, while Mount Maunganui will host the final ODI on 5 April.
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