New Zealand all-rounder Josh Clarkson has been ruled out of the third T20I match against Pakistan in the ongoing five-match T20I series at home. Josh Clarkson will not be part of New Zealand in the third match of the much-anticipated series due to a shoulder injury.

Clarkson suffered the injury during the Dream11 Super Smash while representing the Central Stags. Will Young will join the team in preparation for match three at the University of Otago Oval in Dunedin. Clarkson’s absence will be a setback for the Black Caps team.

Josh Clarkson will no longer join the BLACKCAPS team – NZC

Josh Clarkson was expected to join the team for the third game in the absence of captain Kane Williamson, who will be absent through injury. Clarkson was named in the team for only one match. Williamson will return to the team for the final two games of the series.

“Josh Clarkson will no longer join the BLACKCAPS squad ahead of the third match of the KFC T20 Series against Pakistan after being ruled out with a shoulder injury.”

Josh Clarkson will no longer join the BLACKCAPS squad ahead of the third match of the KFC T20 Series against Pakistan after being ruled out with a shoulder injury. #NZvPAK

– BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) January 13, 2024

After showcasing his talent in ODIs, Will Young is all set to return to T20. He will rejoin the team after tomorrow’s game in Hamilton. The opener’s last T20I appearance for New Zealand was in August 2023 against the United Arab Emirates.

Young has amassed 2290 runs in 97 T20 matches at an average of 26.62, showing 14 half-centuries and two centuries. Recently, he had a notable performance in Super Smash. He scored 50 against Wellington, followed by an unbeaten 101 runs off 63 balls.

New Zealand record 46 consecutive wins in first T20I against Pakistan

The Kane Williamson-led team beat the Shaheen Afridi-led team by 46 runs in the first match in Auckland on Friday, January 12. The home team posted a formidable total of 226 for 8 in the first match of the series. In response, the visiting team was bowled out for just 180 runs.

Mitchell Santner was absent from the opening match in Auckland due to a COVID-19 infection. He was appointed captain in the absence of Kane Williamson for the third T20I. It will be interesting to see who will lead the team if Santner does not recover in time.

Team New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain) (except game 3), Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (week), Devon Conway (week), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Will Young (game 3 only), Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ben Sears (games 1 and 2), Lockie Ferguson (games 3, 4 and 5).

Pakistan Team: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan.

Also Read: PAK vs NZ: Mitchell Santner infected with COVID-19, ruled out of first T20I against Pakistan