Due to discomfort from a low-grade abdominal wall muscle injury, Abbas Afridi will not be playing in the third Twenty20 International match against New Zealand, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced in a statement on Tuesday.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) is scheduled as the third Twenty20 International match in Dunedin.
According to the PCB, the fast bowler “will be managed symptomatically” because his scan revealed no evidence of a serious injury.
The governing body of cricket stated that Abbas’s availability for the final two matches will be announced later.
Even though the team has been losing, Afridi and Haris Rauf were the team’s top wicket takers, therefore their removal would be a significant loss.
After winning the second Twenty20 international by 21 runs, New Zealand now leads the series 2-0.
After Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman hit half-centuries to help the tourists respond to New Zealand’s 194-8 with a final over dismissal of 173, they gave up a commanding lead in their pursuit for runs.
The Black Caps’ victory was not without cost, as skipper Kane Williamson was sidelined for the rest of the five-match series after suffering a hamstring injury while batting.
Finn Allen led an aggressive batting attack once again, and the game resembled New Zealand’s 46-run victory in Friday’s opening encounter in Auckland.
The hard-hitting opener credited his recent run of form, which included 70 off 41 balls, to a shift in strategy.
“I’ve been working hard on assessing conditions and choosing when to pull the trigger,” Allen stated.
“I usually try to set boundaries and remain upbeat, but it depends on the circumstances. It’s knowing when to choose a less risky or a riskier alternative.”
Before Milne bowled Fakhar for a powerful fifty off twenty-five balls in the tenth over, Pakistan appeared to be within sight of the mark at 97-3.
From then on, they had trouble, with Babar being the only one who appeared dangerous until he was captured by Ben Sears for 66.
After dismissing the dangerous Mohammad Rizwan earlier, Milne concluded with 4-33 as Pakistan lost both of their openers with just 10 runs.
