Web Desk :
Pakistan’s High Performance coach Yasir Arafat on Tuesday showed his utmost faith in the young players selected for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand.
Talking to media after the conclusion of Pakistan’s training camp for the T20I series, Yasir Arafat expressed confidence in top-order batters Haseebullah Khan and Sahibzada Farhan as well as applauded their dedication during the training camp. “Haseebullah is a very exciting cricketer. I have been following him since he played Under-19 World Cup two years ago. Apart from him, Sahibzada Farhan has shown significant improvement,” said Arafat.
He further opined on pace bowler Abbas Afridi, hinting at his potential to become an all-rounder. “Abbas Afridi has the potential to become a good all-rounder. I really like his attitude. In current times, it is essential for a bowler to work on their batting as well,” he added.
Upon being asked about Ahmed Shahzad’s performance in the training camp, Arafat praised the top-order batter highly for his batting and fitness prowess. “It was great to see Ahmed Shahzad back to form after a lean patch for the past few years. He was one of the fittest players in the camp and was good with the bat too,” Arafat concluded.
Pakistan is scheduled to play a five-match T20I series against the Black Caps commencing from 12 January 2024 to 21 January 2024 in New Zealand. This will be Shaheen Afridi’s first assignment as the T20I captain after being named Pakistan’s captain in the shortest form following Babar Azam’s resignation.
PAKISTAN SQUAD FOR NZ TOUR: Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Zaman Khan, Aamir Jamal, Azam Khan (wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Haseebullah Khan (wk) and Abbas Afridi.
