Pakistan win toss, elect to bat first against New Zealand in tri-series final
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first against New Zealand in the final of Tri-Nation Series at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Friday.
Pakistan qualified for the final after defeating South Africa at the same venue, while also achieving their highest chase of 353, giving the home side a confidence boost.
Suffering from a muscular sprain in his lower chest, Haris Rauf has already been advised to rest for the remainder of the series. He was replaced by Mohammad Hasnain in the previous game against the Proteas. While all-rounder Faheem Ashraf has substituted Hasnain in the final. Faheem is making his comeback in the fifty-over format after last playing against India in the 2023 Asia Cup in Colombo.
On the other hand, New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra, who misjudged a catch and was hit in the forehead during a match against Pakistan in Lahore last Saturday, still has concussion protocols to pass before returning to the field, coach Gary Stead said.
Though Ravindra passed his first Head Injury Assessment (HIA) immediately after the blow, Stead revealed the 25-year-old had suffered headaches in the following days and would need to tick off further HIA’s to be passed fit.
Therefore, he has been ousted from the ODI tri-series final against Pakistan.
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.
