Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first against New Zealand in the second ODI of the three-match home series being played at Seddon Park on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s batter, Usman Khan, after sustaining a hamstring injury was ruled out from the match, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.
The 29-year-old opening batter got injured while fielding during his side’s first ODI against hosts at the Mclean Park in Napier on Friday.
The MRI scan confirmed a low-grade tear, making Usman unavailable for today’s ODI.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s in-form middle-order batter Mark Chapman has been excluded from the ODI.
Chapman, who was named the player of the match in the opening ODI for his brisk century, sustained the injury in the second innings while fielding and subsequent scans revealed a grade-one tear, according to New Zealand Cricket (NZC).
Pakistan are trailing New Zealand 0-1 in the ongoing three-match ODI series as they suffered a gruelling 73-run defeat in the opener.
Batting first, New Zealand posted a formidable total of 344, thanks to an outstanding century from Mark Chapman (132) and a blistering 24-ball fifty from debutant Muhammad Abbas.
In reply, Pakistan started well, reaching 249-3 in the 39th over. However, they failed to capitalize on the strong position as wickets began to fall quickly. Pakistan was ultimately bowled out for 271 runs.
Pakistan’s ODI squad for second ODI against New Zealand:
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir, Haris Rauf.
New Zealand squad for second ODI against Pakistan:
Henry Nicholls, Muhammad Abbas, Adithya Ashok, Michael Bracewell (c), Tim Seifert, Jacob Duffy, Mitch Hay (wk), Nick Kelly, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Will Young.
