Pakistan Chief Selector Wahab Riaz is said to have assured experienced Pakistan batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan that they will not be arbitrarily excluded from upcoming games after the two senior cricketers expressed concern about the selection panel planned to rest them for the five-match T20I series in New Zealand.
Following Pakistan’s 360-run defeat in the first Test in Perth, It is reported PCB intends to rest the pair for the T20I series in New Zealand. Babar and Rizwan are now in Australia with the team for the three-Test series. The Pakistan team will then travel to New Zealand for the Twenty20 International series, which will begin on January 12 in Auckland, to kick-start their preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
According to various reports, During the T20I series in New Zealand, the team management may also test out a new starting combination of Saim Ayub and Babar Azam. The former Pakistan skipper, who has opened alongside Muhammad Rizwan in T20s for the last two or three years, has been advised to be ready for a new opening partner.
According to a source close to the two players, Babar and Rizwan called Wahab Riaz from Australia and asked for an explanation on the white-ball series against the Blackcaps. According to the source, Riaz acknowledged to the duo that he considered resting them for a few games against New Zealand but then changed his mind and assured that the duo remains the backbone of the Pakistan team.
“Babar and Rizwan made it clear to the chief selector that they had never asked for any rest as they were doing fine. Then why were reports circulating in the media that the selectors were going to rest them.”
“Wahab said he had made the suggestion with other selectors and team management. But all of them convinced him that the New Zealand series was important and was not one where the team could manage without two senior players in different conditions.
“Wahab assured Babar and Rizwan they remained the backbone of the Pakistan team and their selection for the five-match T20I series confirmed this. So, they had nothing to worry about,” a PCB source said.
Babar Azam has been a standout performance for Pakistan across all platforms. The right-handed batsman is the backbone of Pakistan’s fragile batting order, which is highly reliant on his consistency across all three formats. Mohammad Rizwan has been a great player for the Men In Green since his debut in International Cricket.
