Rawalpindi: April 13,2024: The names of the match officials for the T20 series between Pakistan and New Zealand have been announced. The five-member panel of umpires includes Aleem Dar, Ahsan Raza, Asif Yaqub, Faisal Afridi and Rashid Riaz. Apart from this, Andrew Pycroft of Zimbabwe has been appointed as the ICC match referee for the series. The 67-year-old Pycroft has officiated in 144 T20 International matches and is the most T20I by officiating in all five matches. In Twenty International matches, he will be second in the list of match referees. Currently, New Zealand’s Jeff Crowe 175 and Sri Lanka’s Ranjan Madugale 145 T20 International matches have served as match referees.
It should be noted that Pakistan and New Zealand T20 series will start from April 18 in Rawalpindi
The five-match T20 series will be played from April 18 to 27 in Rawalpindi and Lahore. Both the teams have been announced. New Zealand has announced its squad for the T20I series against Pakistan starting April 18 without the names of several key players as they will not be able to participate in the series due to the ongoing IPL in India.
It should be remembered that this is not the first time and earlier in the year 2023 also, due to IPL, nine big players of New Zealand did not come to play the Pakistan series. Many star cricketers including Trent Boult, Dion Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner and Kane Williamson are in India to play in the IPL and due to the absence of key players , All-rounder Michael Bracewell will be seen leading the Kiwi team for the first time.
It is also a good opportunity for Pakistan to rest its big players and test the new talent keeping in mind the future. In the first three matches of the recent T20 series with Pakistan in New Zealand, big players like Williamson of New Zealand were not included and the Kiwi board included many new faces and novice players who defeated Pakistan in the series.
Pakistan squad includes Babar Azam, Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Muhammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Rizwan, Muhammad Amir, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saeem Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan, Zaman. Khan, Osama Mir Reserve category: Haseebullah, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Wasim Jr., Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha while the New Zealand squad includes Michael Bracewell, Tom Blundell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Dean Foxcroft, Ben Lister. , including Cole McConaughey, Zach Foulkes, Jimmy Neesham, Will Overke, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ash Sodhi.