Pakistan’s stand-in skipper Shadab Khan has been ruled out of the first Test against New Zealand. The spin all-rounder sustained a thigh injury during the third and the final T20I against New Zealand on Tuesday.
Shadab led the side to a 4-wicket win over the Black-caps after losing the first two T20I matches in Auckland and Hamilton. He will now head to Tauranga for undergoing MRI scan of his injury only then the update of his return will be revealed.
The board named left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar as Shadab’s replacement for the first Test slated to begin December 26 at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. The visitors have already dealt with multiple blows earlier with the regular skipper Babar Azam and opener Imam Ul Haq ruled out of the first Test.
Shadab has been one of the crucial figures in the Pakistani team despite going wicket-less in the recently concluded T20I series.
Pakistan squad for Tests:
Mohammad Rizwan (captain for 1st Test), Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah and Zafar Gohar
The two-match test series will be a part of the ICC World Test Championship and also supposed to be Babar Azam’s first assignment as Test skipper since his appointment last month.
The second Test will take place between January 3-7 at Christchurch, marking the end of the New Zealand tour.
