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Pakistan's Khan Out: Hamstring Injury Sidelines Opener
Pakistan Opener Usman Khan Out of Second ODI Against New Zealand with Hamstring Injury
Napier, New Zealand – Pakistan’s opening batsman, Usman Khan, will miss the second One Day International (ODI) against New Zealand due to a hamstring injury. The 29-year-old suffered the injury while fielding during the first ODI in Napier, which Pakistan lost by 73 runs. A scan revealed a low-grade tear, ruling him out of the remaining matches in the three-game series.
Khan, who was added to the ODI squad after the conclusion of the T20I series, made his ODI debut in the first match, scoring 39 runs off 33 balls. Despite his promising start, his injury significantly impacts Pakistan’s batting line-up.
New Zealand won the opening match convincingly, posting a challenging 344/9 in their innings. Mark Chapman led the charge with a century, while Daryl Mitchell contributed 76 runs and Muhammad Abbas surprisingly added 52 runs for the home team. For Pakistan, Irfan Khan took 3 wickets, Haris Rauf and Akif Javed each claimed 2, and Nassem Shah and Mohammad Ali took one wicket apiece.
Pakistan’s chase began well, with openers Abdullah Shafique (36 runs) and Usman Khan (39 runs) building an 83-run partnership. However, following Khan's dismissal, Pakistan struggled to keep pace. Babar Azam top-scored with 78 runs, and Salman Agha added 58, but the team was eventually bowled out for 271 in 44.1 overs. Nathan Smith was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers, taking four wickets, while Jacob Duffy claimed two.
The second ODI is scheduled for Wednesday in Hamilton. Pakistan will need to find a replacement opener and adjust their strategy to overcome the setback of losing Khan's services. The team will hope to rebound from their first-match defeat and level the series.
Napier, New Zealand – Pakistan’s opening batsman, Usman Khan, will miss the second One Day International (ODI) against New Zealand due to a hamstring injury. The 29-year-old suffered the injury while fielding during the first ODI in Napier, which Pakistan lost by 73 runs. A scan revealed a low-grade tear, ruling him out of the remaining matches in the three-game series.
Khan, who was added to the ODI squad after the conclusion of the T20I series, made his ODI debut in the first match, scoring 39 runs off 33 balls. Despite his promising start, his injury significantly impacts Pakistan’s batting line-up.
New Zealand won the opening match convincingly, posting a challenging 344/9 in their innings. Mark Chapman led the charge with a century, while Daryl Mitchell contributed 76 runs and Muhammad Abbas surprisingly added 52 runs for the home team. For Pakistan, Irfan Khan took 3 wickets, Haris Rauf and Akif Javed each claimed 2, and Nassem Shah and Mohammad Ali took one wicket apiece.
Pakistan’s chase began well, with openers Abdullah Shafique (36 runs) and Usman Khan (39 runs) building an 83-run partnership. However, following Khan's dismissal, Pakistan struggled to keep pace. Babar Azam top-scored with 78 runs, and Salman Agha added 58, but the team was eventually bowled out for 271 in 44.1 overs. Nathan Smith was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers, taking four wickets, while Jacob Duffy claimed two.
The second ODI is scheduled for Wednesday in Hamilton. Pakistan will need to find a replacement opener and adjust their strategy to overcome the setback of losing Khan's services. The team will hope to rebound from their first-match defeat and level the series.
