New Zealand forced to make Williamson replacement switch due to injury

Central Districts' batter Josh Clarkson was pulled out of the New Zealand squad for the third T20I against Pakistan due to a shoulder injury. The batter, uncapped at T20I level, was originally slated to replace New Zealand captain Kane Williamson for the third T20I.

Williamson will miss the third T20I of the series to manage the knee issue that has affected him for most of the last 12 months, before returning for the final two games. Now in Clarkson's stead, Will Young has been added to the Black Caps' squad. Young is a regular in the New Zealand ODI setup, and featured in last year's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023. He has played 14 T20Is, with 260 runs at an average of 20.

Squad: Kane Williamson (c) (matches 1, 2, 4 and 5), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Will Young (match 3 only), Devon Conway (wk), Lockie Ferguson (matches 3, 4 and 5), Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears (matches 1 and 2), Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee

Tour Itinerary

2nd T20I – January 14, Seddon Park, Hamilton

3rd T20I – January 17, University Oval, Dunedin

4th T20I – January 19, Hagley Oval, Christchurch

5th T20I – January 21, Hagley Oval, Christchurch

Mitchell Santner is expected to skipper New Zealand in Williamson's absence.

The Kiwis marched to a vehement 46-run win in the opening game of the series in Auckland. Tim Southee created history in the game by becoming the first player to reach 150 T20I wickets.