Saim Ayub Dropped, Haseebullah In; Here's Pakistan's Probable Playing XI For 5th T20I vs NZ
Saim Ayub has failed miserably with the bat [X.com]
Led by Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan have had a disastrous tour of New Zealand, losing four T20Is on the trot against the host nation. Although Mohammad Rizwan and skipper Afridi put up impressive show in the fourth encounter, their valiant efforts weren't sufficient to break Pakistan's losing streak, as Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips led the home team to another clinical victory.
Besides the bowlers' ineffectiveness, what has bothered Pakistan is the underwhelming performance of the promising Saim Ayub.
Hailed as the next big thing in Pakistan cricket, Ayub has been miserable with the bat, amassing only 39 runs across four outings at a horrendous average of 9.75. So, moving on to the final dead rubber, Pakistan might consider dropping the stylish southpaw from their playing XI.
If Ayub is dropped, he will be replaced by left-handed batter Haseebullah, who is rated highly for his amazing consistency in the domestic circuit.
The rest of the Pakistani lineup will likely be similar to that in the previous face-off. So, Rizwan will continue to open, with Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz following him in order. Skipper Shaheen Afridi will lead the bowling attack alongside Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf and Zaman Khan.
Pakistan's Probable Playing XI For 5th T20I vs NZ
Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Haseebullah Khan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi (C), Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Zaman Khan
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