Pakistan captain Babar Azam ruled out of second Test against New Zealand

Pakistan captain and opener Babar Azam has been ruled out of
the squad due to a broken thumb and will not be playing for Pakistan in the second Test match against New
Zealand in Christchurch on Sunday, AFP reported.

The announcement, coming from team doctor Sohail Saleem,
came barely hours after the interim captain Mohammad Rizwan said that Azam
batted well in the net, but wanted more practice before being confirmed in the playing
XI.

Also read: England return for Sri Lanka Tests amid virus surge

“We have seen an improvement in Babar Azam’s
injury but he is yet to fully recover. He is our captain and the most important
batsman in our lineup so we do not want to take any risk”, AFP quoted Saleem as
saying, who further noted that the team was ‘hopeful’ that they would be
getting Azam for their home series against South Africa.

Likening Azam to
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, Saleem acknowledged that the former has
the same role to play in the Pakistan squad.

Williamson’s
century in the first innings built the base for New Zealand’s 101-run victory
in the first Test match.

Also read: 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi arrested in Pakistan

Ahead of the second
test, visibly a lot is at stake for New Zealand, as only by winning the second showdown
against Pakistan will they be able to progress to the World Test Championships
final at Lords in June.