It seems like nothing is going right for Pakistan in the current scenario as the team has taken a huge blow ahead of the New Zealand tour. The team’s vice-captain Shadab Khan is expected to miss the series due to the foot injury he sustained in the National T20 Cup.

The Pakistan Cricket Board’s selection committee, comprising Wahab Riaz, Kamran Akmal, Asad Shafique and Iftikhar Anjum, is yet to announce the replacement for the 25-year-old ace spinner. Shadab Khan has been one of the main weapons of the Pakistan cricket team, especially in the shortest format.

Shadab Khan: The backbone of Pakistan’s indirect attack

Shadab Khan can pick wickets in the middle and contribute with runs while moving up the order. Khan was supposed to play an important role in Pakistan’s development after batsman Babar Azam stepped down as team captain. Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead the team in the T20I format.

Shaheen has been one of the most lethal weapons for the ‘Men in Green’ in the T20I format due to his lethal pace and ability to dismiss the batsman in the first few overs. However, Shaheen has not been able to live up to expectations after his return from injury.

Shaheen suffered an injury during the 2022 T20 World Cup final against England and since then there has been a drop in the left-arm bowler’s pace. Afridi’s dismal bowling was also one of the main reasons behind Pakistan’s failure in the 2023 Asia Cup and ODI World Cup.

Pakistan’s failure in the 2023 ODI World Cup

Pakistan suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of low-ranked teams like Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and bowling, once the team’s strength, had become its weakness. Pakistan also lost to India in the 2023 Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup, which once again highlighted the team’s major problems.

Batsman Babar Azam’s form also went unnoticed as he failed to score runs despite being the world’s number one ODI batsman.

Currently, Pakistan is in Australia and is playing a three-match Test series against the world Test champions. The Pakistan team led by Shan Masood suffered a 360-run defeat against the Kangaroos in the first Test played in Perth. Shadab Khan had a forgettable 2023 World Cup like most Pakistan players. Shadab Khan also received a lot of criticism from Pakistan fans during the 2023 World Cup.

Pakistan were dismantled by a score of 89 runs in the second innings and put up a horrible batting performance. Pakistan will now head to the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Boxing Day Test to be played from December 26.

Pakistan tour of New Zealand 2024

1st T20I: New Zealand vs Pakistan at Auckland’s Eden Park

2nd T20I: New Zealand vs Pakistan at Seddon Park in Hamilton

3rd T20I: New Zealand vs Pakistan at the University Oval in Dunedin

4th T20I: New Zealand vs Pakistan at Hagley Oval in Christchurch

5th T20I: New Zealand vs Pakistan at Hagley Oval in Christchurch