We are a young team eager to play fearless cricket, says Salman Agha

Salman Agha, the newly appointed T20I captain of Pakistan, has emphasized the importance of improving their mindset and strategy while also advocating for a fearless and high-risk approach to cricket. In a bold move, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been dropped from the team for their consistent questioning of the strike rate in T-20 cricket. The decision comes as Pakistan sets its sights on the T-20 World Cup next year, with Agha looking to create a team that is willing to take risks and play aggressively.

Saim Ayub is still out due to his injury. Pakistan has a very new team for this series, so it will be difficult for them to play against the CT 2025 runner-ups. New Zealand will also be missing a few key players due to IPL 2025.

Fast bowler Matt Henry rejoins the squad after being absent for the Champions Trophy final versus India in Dubai. In the fast bowling lineup, Will O'Rourke and Kyle Jamieson will participate in the initial three matches as Kane Williamson has decided to skip the series.

Salman Agha has been named Pakistan's new T-20 captain, while Shadab Khan, who is making his T-20 return in this series, has been named as his deputy. Michael Bracewell has been named captain of New Zealand because Mitchell Santner is unavailable due to his IPL commitments.

The surface at Hagley Oval is commonly recognised for benefiting batsmen. Teams that bat second have experienced a greater success rate at Hagley Oval in T20 internationals.

Before the series started, Kiwi skipper Michael Bracewell spoke about the new-looking Pakistan squad. He said new players are coming onto their team; they are unknown, but he felt that if they do everything according to plan, that'll be good for anyone against them.

"We've probably had a bit more of focus on ourselves. With a few new young players coming into the Pakistan side, there is a bit of the unknown. But I think as long as we know what we are trying to do, that'll be good enough for anyone that comes up against us." Michael Bracewell said, as per a quote from ESPNcricinfo.

Salman Agha also expressed his views ahead of the clash between Pakistan and New Zealand. He said, "We have a new side, and we want to play fearless cricket. High-risk cricket is required in modern-day cricket."

"This is a young team, and we want to play fearless cricket. That is high-risk cricket, which is a requirement in modern cricket. There will be failures with that approach, but we have to support our players." Salman Agha said.

New Zealand Squad: Tim Robinson, Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Michael Bracewell, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears, Kyle Jamieson, William O'Rourke, Mitchell Hay

Pakistan Squad: Omair Yousuf, Usman Khan, Abdul Samad, Mohammad Haris, Khushdil Shah, Salman Agha, Irfan Khan, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

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