NZ vs PAK: In a key update ahead of the New Zealand vs Pakistan 5th and final T20I in Christchurch, the Kiwis have pulled back the participation of Daryl Mitchell. The all-rounder will no longer participate in the 5th T20I at the Hagley Oval against Pakistan.
The decision was taken keeping in mind the workload of the all-rounder, who has been on the roll since August 30 last year. Mitchell has been a vital cog in New Zealand’s three format lineups and has featured in 28 matches in the last six months.
Daryl Mitchell will have a few days break before he returns to the side for the crucial two-match test series against South Africa, starting February 04 followed by a T20I and Test series against Australia, starting February 21.
Notably, New Zealand have called in Rachin Ravindra to replace Daryl Mitchell. New Zealand’s coach Gary Stead confirmed the development:
“We’ve made a call to give Daryl Mitchell a break from this game. We’ve obviously got some important Test matches leading up,” Stead said. “Daryl’s a three-format player, so it’s really important that we do manage his workload over this period. He’s highly likely to play a big part in the rest of our [home] season. So we just thought this is an opportune time [to give him a break], given the series is won.”
“But it’s also nice to introduce Rachin back into the side. He’s been on a period of break, and came back and played one game for Wellington Firebirds [in the domestic T20s]. He fits well into the team in the role that we’d like him to play.”
With New Zealand already 4-0 up in the T20I series against Pakistan, the move to rest Daryl Mitchell makes sense. The Kiwis would look to sweep Pakistan in the 5th T20I on January 21 in Christchurch.
Below are the updated squads for New Zealand vs Pakistan 5th T20I:
New Zealand T20I Squad: Kane Williamson (c), Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Finn Allen, Mitchell Santner, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Tim Seifert, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.
Pakistan Squad: Shaheen Afridi (c), Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Aamer Jamal, Iftikhar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Azam Khan, Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan.
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