Agency :
Shadab Khan has been ruled out of the first Test against New Zealand with a thigh injury. Left-arm spinner, Zafar Gohar, has been added to the squad as his replacement.
The Pakistan all-rounder was ruled out following Pakistan’s four-wicket win in the final T20I in Napier. “Shadab will now undergo MRI scans in Tauranga on Thursday, following which a further update on the exact nature of the injury and time needed to return to competitive cricket will be provided,” a PCB release stated. “Zafar has joined the Test side from Hamilton where he was preparing with the Pakistan Shaheens for Sunday’s T20 match against the Northern Knights.”
Gohar, in the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in the 2019-20 season, returned the third-most wickets with 38, including five four-wicket hauls and one five-for Central Punjab. In 39 first-class games, he has returned 144 wickets, including six five-wicket hauls in an innings and two ten-wicket match hauls.
Squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain for 1st Test), Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah and Zafar Gohar.
Shadab Khan has been ruled out of the first Test against New Zealand with a thigh injury. Left-arm spinner, Zafar Gohar, has been added to the squad as his replacement.
The Pakistan all-rounder was ruled out following Pakistan’s four-wicket win in the final T20I in Napier. “Shadab will now undergo MRI scans in Tauranga on Thursday, following which a further update on the exact nature of the injury and time needed to return to competitive cricket will be provided,” a PCB release stated. “Zafar has joined the Test side from Hamilton where he was preparing with the Pakistan Shaheens for Sunday’s T20 match against the Northern Knights.”
Gohar, in the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in the 2019-20 season, returned the third-most wickets with 38, including five four-wicket hauls and one five-for Central Punjab. In 39 first-class games, he has returned 144 wickets, including six five-wicket hauls in an innings and two ten-wicket match hauls.
Squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain for 1st Test), Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah and Zafar Gohar.
