Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam is unlikely to get fit before their first Test against New Zealand from December 26.

According to the reports, Babar hasn’t recovered from his thumb injury so far and will be rested for some more days.

In his absence, wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan will lead the side in the first red-ball contest.

Babar Azam was ruled out of the series due to his thumb fracture during an Intra-Squad practice match ahead of the T20I series.

Pakistan played its first T20I under the captaincy of Shadab Khan and lost by five wickets. The second T20I of three matches series will be played tomorrow in Hamilton.

Earlier, Babar Azam had shared a message of support for the green shirts ahead of T20I series.

The cricketer said he was “really proud of this young and dynamic team”.

Taking to Twitter, Azam wrote, “Really proud of this young and dynamic team. Give your best guys and enjoy your game. You are a force to reckon with. #PakistanZindabad”

“Give your best guys and enjoy your game. You are a force to reckon with,” he added more.

Moreover, Babar Azam, who had been accused of rape, submitted his lawyer’s power of attorney against the woman.

On behalf of Azam, Advocate Mubashir Sajjad had submitted the power of attorney. Meanwhile, the police were unable to submit a complete report in the court as the accuser did not show up in the police station when called.

The police have appealed to the court to bring both the parties face to face so that the court could provide time for a full report. The court granted the police plea and adjourned the hearing till December 14.

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