Usman Khan And...? Rizwan Likely To Drop These Pakistan Players For Tri-Series ODI vs NZ

Usman Khan in action [Source: @ShakeelktkKhan/X]

After emerging victorious in two consecutive ODI series in Australia and South Africa, Pakistan are all set to face New Zealand and the Proteas in a Tri-series on home soil. This will be Pakistan's final dress rehearsal before the ICC Champions Trophy, which will be played from February 19 to March 9. 

The Men in Green have announced a robust squad for the Champions Trophy. It's worth mentioning that the same set of players will also participate in the Tri-Series. As the hosts gear up for the series opener against New Zealand, here are three players who they might ignore for selection. 

1. Usman Khan

• Pakistan's young top-order batter Usman Khan managed to find a place in the squad for the Tri-series as an unfortunate ankle injury ruled Saim Ayub out of the tournament. Despite having a prolific record in List-A cricket, Usman Khan hasn't played a single ODI for Pakistan. 
• Also, several reports have claimed that the Pakistani think tank is keen to test Babar Azam as an opener ahead of the Champions Trophy. If Babar opens the batting for Pakistan, the move will make room for an extra batter, allowing the hosts to strengthen their middle order. 
• Thus, considering Usman's inexperience and Babar Azam's credentials as a technically solid batter, Pakistan might bench the former in the first ODI against New Zealand. 

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2. Khushdil Shah

(Khushdil Shah's stats in ODIs)

• Experienced middle-order batter Khushdil Shah received a recall into Pakistan's ODI setup following a string of impressive performances in the Bangladesh Premier League.
• However, the southpaw hasn't played an ODI game since August 2022. In ODIs, he has mostly batted at number five, where Pakistan may prefer either Agha Salman or Kamran Ghulam. 
• While Salman is set to play as Pakistan's first-choice all-rounder, Kamran will likely be preferred for his recent exploits in South Africa. Therefore, it seems Khushdil will have to wait for either of the two to fail in order to re-enter the ODI lineup. 

3. Mohammad Hasnain

(Mohammad Hasnain's ODI stats)

• Pakistan's promising fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain earned an ODI recall after his stunning performance in the National One-Day Cup. 
• However, the right-arm pacer hasn't had a great ODI career, as evidenced by the data in the above table. Furthermore, Pakistan will likely prefer Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf as their three seamers, given their stature and reputation. 
• In such a scenario, Hasnain seems the only frontline pacer who could be excluded from Pakistan's playing XI for the first game of the Tri-Series against New Zealand. 

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