After clinching the ODI series against South Africa 2-1, Pakistan will begin their T20I campaign from April 10 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
The visitors have added in-form Fakhar Zaman to their T20I squad, and vice-captain Shadab Khan, who has been ruled out due to an injury, will be replaced by Zahid Mehmood.
🔸 Fakhar Zaman has been included in Pakistan’s squad for the #SAvPAK T20Is
🔸 Legspinner Zahid Mahmood will replace the injured Shadab Khan in the squadHow do you think 🇵🇰 will fare in the series? pic.twitter.com/iX621M0nlP
— ICC (@ICC) April 8, 2021
Zaman was recently in the news for scoring a gritty 193 off 155 balls in the 2nd ODI and he followed it up with a consistent 101 off 104 balls in the 3rd ODI as Pakistan won the match and the series by a margin of 2-1.
He was well applauded by fans and experts of the game for his blistering knocks and was also awarded the Man of the Series award. With this win, Pakistan became the second nation after Australia to seal at least two series against South Africa in their backyard.
When questioned on how he managed to bat for such long periods, the 30-year-old said that he was looking to survive the first ten overs since it wasn’t easy for any batter to play two new balls.
“My plan was very simple,” he said. “I was trying to play normally for the first 10 overs. On these grounds in the morning, it is not easy to play with two new balls.”
Zaman even went onto thank captain Babar Azam, who was also the Man of the Match for the third ODI, for giving him an opportunity.
“For the last two years I wasn’t scoring much, so it was necessary for me and my team. Thanks to my skipper for giving me these opportunities. I’m happier at having won the series,” Zaman added.
The southpaw has now climbed seven places in the ICC ODI rankings reaching the 12th spot.
Talking about Shadab, he sustained a left-toe injury while batting in the 2nd ODI in Johannesburg. X-rays revealed an ‘interarticular communicated fracture’, and the 22-year-old has been advised a four-week rehab.
He had suffered from a groin injury and hamstring problems in the past.
Remember me in your prayers. I am putting in a lot of effort, I believe if u keep working hard and keep fighting through tough times, Allah helps u reach ur goals. I will keep working hard and will bounce back inshAllah. Thank you for all your love and support. #PakistanZindabad
— Shadab Khan (@76Shadabkhan) April 5, 2021
Pakistan’s revised T20I squad:
Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Zahid Mehmood, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Haider Ali, Danish Aziz, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Waseem Jr, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Hasan Ali, Arshad Iqbal, Usman Qadir.
