Karachi, Dec 26, 2022, IANS

Karachi, Dec 26 (IANS) The Pakistan cricket team management's decision to drop wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan and bring in Sarfaraz Ahmed - their former captain who last played a Test in January 2019 - for the first Test against New Zealand here has raised a few eyebrows.

The team management also decided to include Mir Hamza, the left-arm seamer who played his only Test way back in 2018, in the playing eleven as skipper Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bat first in a series that Pakistan have to win to recover from the embarrassing 0-3 thrashing they suffered against England.

Interim chief selector Shahid Afridi had said that he would like to bring experienced players back into the squad as they look to resurrect their Test form while also rotating some of their key players.

The decision not to include Rizwan seems to be based on that logic, even though the wicketkeeper has been in good form recently. He is the second-highest-ranked Pakistan batter in the Men's Test Batting Rankings in 2022.

While Afridi has been taking such decisions, skipper Babar Azam said he is not under pressure despite the debacle in the England series. Babar, who is ranked No. 1 in the Test rankings, said he does not take pressure as it will impact his game.

"To be honest, I don't take the pressure. If you take the pressure, your game goes down. I have a belief that its a new day, a new team and a new match so things will be different. It's our unit and that unity, not that they are supporting me only, they support each other," said Azam ahead of the first Test against New Zealand.

Babar said he is hopeful that Pakistan would come back from the England series and win against New Zealand.

"When you lose, such things come up. All sportsmen support each other. As a player and as a captain I keep myself in my zone. Yes, we have lost a series but Insha'Allah we will stage a comeback," Azam added.

Babar's decision to bat first seems to have backfired as the hosts slumped to 97/2 in 27 overs in the morning session. Babar is trying to resurrect his innings as he was batting on 48.