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Pakistan revealed their playing XI for the crucial third T20I against New Zealand On Tuesday (January 16). Both the teams have suffered massive blow ahead of the third T20I, which is set to take place at the University Oval in Dunedin on Wednesday (January 17). While Pakistan's Abbas Afridi has been ruled out of the third T20I, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will miss the remainder of the five-match series due to injury.
The Pakistan team management confirmed the development in a statement that a low grade abdominal muscle strain to Afridi has forced Afridi out of the third T20I.
"His scan has shown no sign of significant injury, and he will be managed symptomatically. His availability for the last two games will be made at a later stage," the management statement said. Notably, Pakistan are already without the services of Khurram Shahzad.
Williamson experienced a strain in his right hamstring during the second T20I and has decided to rest for the rest of the series, aiming to recover in time for New Zealand's upcoming two-Test series against South Africa, which begins on February 3. Currently, New Zealand is ahead in the ongoing five-match T20I series against Pakistan, with a 2-0 lead. They achieved victories in the first two matches by margins of 46 runs and 21 runs, respectively. The third T20I is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
Led by Shaheen Afridi, the Pakistani team faces a critical situation, teetering on the edge of series defeat after losing the first two matches. Another loss in the upcoming game would result in them losing the series with two matches still to play. Pakistan's bowlers have found it challenging to hold back New Zealand's batters in the series so far. In the series opener in Auckland, New Zealand amassed a substantial 226/8, marking their highest total ever against Pakistan in this format. Pakistan responded with 180 runs, falling short by 46 runs. The second match saw New Zealand securing a 21-run victory, scoring 194/8 and then dismissing Pakistan for 173.
As the series reaches a critical point, Pakistan have announced three changes to their team for the upcoming match. In response to the bowlers' underwhelming performance in the first two games, the team, besides Abbas Afridi's absence, has decided to exclude Aamer Jamal and Usama Mir from the playing eleven. In the previous match, Abbas gave up 43 runs across four overs and picked two key wickets of Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman. Meanwhile, Mir claimed one wicket at the cost of 39 runs. Notably, Afridi had a strong debut in the first game, capturing three wickets for 34 runs.
With the series at stake, Pakistan is eager to win the third match to not only keep their hopes alive but also to improve their recent record in bilateral T20I series. Since 2022, the team has yet to secure a T20I series victory, having suffered defeats against Australia, England, and Afghanistan during this time.
Pakistan playing XI for third T20I: Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (WK), Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi (C), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan.
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