ISLAMABAD: The intermitted rain and bad weather conditions delayed the toss and first encounter of the five T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand being played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium here on Thursday evening.
Earlier due to a downpour in the afternoon, the ground was covered. Later the two umpires Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza went to the field for inspection however the situation didn’t suit the play.
Both the umpire would go for another inspection in a while to assess if the game could be played.
Pakistan vs New Zealand T20I Series
In the 5 T20 matches series, the first three matches will be played at Rawalpindi while Lahore will host the last two games.
Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim who recently took back their decision of retirement, would likely be part of the team, whereas Haris Rauf would miss the series due to his injury in the PSL a month before.
Pakistan Squad: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Zaman Khan.
Non-travelling reserves: Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha.
New Zealand Squad: The Black Caps would face Pakistan mostly with fresh faces being led by Michael Bracewell as most of the players are busy in the Indian Premier League including Kim Williamson, Mitchel March, Furgeson etc. However, still it would be an interesting series and a solid preparation ahead of the T20 World Cup to be played in the USA and West Indies in June this year.
