The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the team management for the national side ahead of the much-anticipated T20I and ODI series against New Zealand. The series is set to begin on April 14th, and the PCB has confirmed that New Zealand’s former Test cricketer Grant Bradburn will be the head coach, with Abdul Rehman serving as his assistant coach. Andrew Puttick will come in as the batting coach, while Umar Gul’s contract as the bowling coach has been extended.
Rehan-ul-Haq, the general manager of two-time Pakistan Super League (PSL) champions Islamabad United, has been appointed team manager. The team management has reportedly been appointed in the loop with a potential team director in the future, Mickey Arthur. The former head coach of the national team is likely to be confirmed to take up the post after the home New Zealand tour.
Bradburn and Puttick have been appointed for the New Zealand series and will arrive in Lahore on April 11th. The PCB will confirm the Pakistan team management for post-New Zealand series following the completion of the relevant recruitment processes, which are currently ongoing.
The T20I team will be led by Babar Azam, with Shadab Khan serving as his vice-captain. The team includes Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, and Zaman Khan.
The ODI team will also be led by Babar Azam, with Shadab Khan serving as vice-captain. The team includes Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, and Usama Mir. Reserves for the team include Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Tayyab Tahir.
The PCB has also unveiled the seven-member commentary panel for the five T20 Internationals and as many One-Day Internationals to be played between Pakistan and New Zealand. Bazid Khan, Grant Elliot, and Kyle Mills will call action across the T20Is, while Lisa Sthalekar and Mark Butcher will cover the ODIs. Sikander Bakht and Urooj Mumtaz will also be part of the commentary team. Renowned presenter Zainab Abbas will host pre- and post-match shows, including Pitch Side that will continue to bring in-depth analysis for cricket fans.
The series schedule includes five T20Is and five ODIs. The T20Is will begin at 9 pm, while the ODIs will begin at 3:30 pm. Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi will host the matches.
The broadcast of the white-ball series will be available through PTV Sports on Linear TV. The matches will be live-streamed on ARY Zap, Vidly.tv, Tamasha, and Tapmad within Pakistan and on PCB YouTube Channel outside Pakistan. Etisalat (Middle-East and North Africa), Flow Sports (Caribbean), Sky NZ (New Zealand), Fox Sports (Australia), Sky Sports (United Kingdom), Sony (South Asia outside Pakistan), Super Sports (Sub-Saharan Africa), and Willow TV (North America) will broadcast matches internationally.
FM 106.2 (Pakistan) will be the radio partner for the series. With the series fast approaching, fans are excited to
