3 things to look forward to in PAK vs NZ T20Is

Pakistan will host New Zealand for a five-match T20I series from April 18 to 27. The series will begin tomorrow evening with a match in Rawalpindi. The next two T20I matches will also take place in Rawalpindi, and then, the two sides will travel to Lahore for the final two matches of the series.

The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 will be held later this year in West Indies and USA. This series will allow Pakistan to finalize its team combination for the mega event. Meanwhile, New Zealand have sent a 'B' team for this tour to test their bench strength ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Although New Zealand are not at full strength, they have some new talents in their team, who can give Pakistan a run for their money in this series. Before the first T20I begins, here's a look at the three things to look forward to in the Pakistan vs New Zealand series.

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#1 The return of Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim in the T20I arena

The Pakistan Cricket Board has convinced fast bowler Mohammad Amir and all-rounder Imad Wasim to take their retirements back. Both star players made themselves available for the shortest format of the game once again, and they are back in Pakistan's squad now.

Amir played a major role in Pakistan's ICC Champions Trophy 2017 triumph. He also has the experience of playing in the ICC ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup. A left-arm pacer like him can be an asset to the Men in Green in the upcoming mega event in West Indies and USA.

Meanwhile, Imad Wasim has proven himself as a big-match player. In the PSL 2024 final, Wasim bagged a five-wicket haul to help his team Islamabad United become the champions. Having represented Pakistan at ICC events before, Wasim will be keen to perform well in this series and cement his place in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad.

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#2 Babar Azam returns as Pakistan captain in T20Is

Last year, Pakistan visited New Zealand for a five-match T20I series. Fast bowler Shaheen Afridi made his captaincy debut in that series. Many fans expected Afridi to lead Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2024, but the Men in Green suffered an embarrassing 0-5 loss under his captaincy against New Zealand.

Even Afridi's PSL team Lahore Qalandars could not perform well in the 2024 season. As a result, the Pakistan team management decided to change the captain and handed the leadership role back to Babar Azam, who led the team to the semifinals in the T20 World Cup 2021 and the final in the T20 World Cup 2022.

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#3 Zak Foulkes' maiden outing for New Zealand

Zak Foulkes was a last-minute addition to the New Zealand squad for this series. Foulkes is a 21-year-old uncapped all-rounder, who scalped 14 wickets and had a batting strike rate of 150 for Canterbury in the Super Smash tournament.

As mentioned earlier, the Blackcaps will test their bench strength in the upcoming five matches. If Foulkes can impress the selectors as an all-rounder, he can perhaps sneak into the New Zealand squad for T20 World Cup 2024.