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Nz Vs Pak Babar Azam Ruled Out Of Second Test

NZ vs Pak: Babar Azam ruled out of second Test

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the second Test against New Zealand slated to take place in Christchurch on Sunday, 3rd January 2021.

Azam, who had sustained the injury after fracturing his right thumb during the practice session in Queenstown, hasn’t recovered sufficiently to be declared fit for the upcoming Test. “We have seen improvement in Babar Azam’s injury but he is yet to fully recover. He is our captain and the most important batsman in the lineup, so we do not want to take any risk,” said Dr Sohail Saleem, the appointed doctor for the Pakistan cricket team.

Mohammad Rizwan will continue to lead the side in Azam’s absence. Pakistan lost the first Test by 101 runs after failing to chase down a target of 373 runs at Bay Oval. Fawad Alam scored a ton while stand-in captain Rizwan notched up 60 during the course but failed to go over the line.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson scored a hundred in the same match that fetched him the first spot in ICC Test rankings.

Earlier, the hosts suffered a blow after Neil Wagner was ruled out of the second Test. Wagner had injured his toe during the first clash. “Neil hasn’t travelled with us. The injections he was getting were wearing off and we can’t let him go through that again,” coach Garry Stead said to reporters.

Matt Henry is likely to replace Wagner in the playing XI.

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It is written as 17-18 years on paper, but the bowlers are actually 27-28 years old: Asif

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