New Zealand’s left-arm bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the T20I series against Pakistan starting on Friday (today) in Auckland, New Zealand.
The New Zealand Cricket announced in a tweet that Santner will not travel to the Eden Park Stadium for the first T20I against the tourists on Friday night. The NZ Cricket Authority said the cricketer would be monitored for several days.
“Mitch Santner will not travel to Eden Park tonight for the KFC T20I opener against Pakistan after testing positive for COVID today. He will continue to be monitored in the coming days and will travel solo home to Hamilton. #NZvPAK,” NZC wrote on X.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that the playing XI will take on the Kiwis in the five-match T20I series.
Today’s match will mark left-arm paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi’s first assignment as captain after taking over the reins from Babar Azam.
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Rizwan and Saim will open the match with Babar Azam in the middle order. Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Azam Khan will appear in the wicket at the fourth, fifth and sixth positions respectively. Aamir Jamal and Usama Mir will bat at number seven and eight respectively.
Fourth-ranked Pakistan last played T20Is in April 2023 when they faced New Zealand at home in a five-match series played in Lahore and Rawalpindi. Wicket-scorer Mohammad Rizwan, who was named as Shaheen’s vice-captain, was Pakistan’s leading player in the series. The most successful bowler during this assignment was the right-armer Haris Rauf.
