• Pakistan named 16-man squad for three-match ODI series.
• Babar Azam will once again captain the side.
• Rizwan should be reinstated to his regular position behind  wickets.

Babar Azam will once again serve as the team’s captain as Pakistan has selected a 16-member squad for the white-ball series. The vice-captain will be Shan Masood.

Mohammad Rizwan should be reinstated to his regular position behind the wickets after a slump in his Test performance forced him to sit out the red-ball leg of New Zealand’s visit. Rizwan has played in 49 ODIs and amassed 1,065 runs, including two centuries and six half-centuries.

Tayyab Tahir, Kamran Ghulam, and Usama Mir—all uncapped—are also in the team, and Haris Sohail and Fakhar Zaman have been called back.

Shadab Khan (finger) and Shaheen Shah Afridi remain unavailable for selection, while Haris Rauf, who missed the Test series due to a quad injury, is available.

For the ODI series, Kane Williamson will assume a leadership position for New Zealand. Tim Southee was selected as the new Test captain after the batsman resigned in December 2022.

The prominent returns include Ish Sodhi and Henry Nicholls, while all-arounder Henry Shipley has received his first call-up.

On January 3, Blair Tickner was introduced as Adam Milne’s last-minute replacement. The quick bowler has only bowled eight overs for Wellington in the Super Smash due to a tight hamstring that has been bothering him.

A three-match ODI series between Pakistan and New Zealand.

First ODI: Monday, January 9 – National Stadium, Karachi (2:30pm local time, 9:30am GMT)

Second ODI: Wednesday, January 11 – National Stadium, Karachi (2:30pm local time, 9:30am GMT)

Third ODI: Friday, January 13 – National Stadium, Karachi (2:30pm local time, 9:30am GMT)

Playing XI

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Salman Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Usama Mir

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Latham, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Blair Tickner, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee

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