In a significant shift, top Pakistani batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been replace by more experienced batters. The Vancouver Knights have replaced them with veteran Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja and South African opener Reeza Hendricks for the ongoing Global T20 tournament.
Babar and Rizwan had sought No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to participate in the tournament, but the apex body denied their requests to manage their workload ahead of a busy cricket season.
Following the PCB’s decision, the Vancouver Knights promptly brought in Khawaja and Hendricks as replacements for the marquee event. Usman Khawaja has taken over the captaincy role from Rizwan.
Khawaja, a stylish left-hander, has an impressive record with 3,269 runs in 116 T20 innings, including three centuries, averaging 30.26 with a strike rate of 130.39. His leadership experience with Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League is expected to be a vital asset for the Knights in the competition.
Reeza Hendricks, known for his aggressive strokeplay in white-ball cricket, has represented numerous franchises and is anticipated to be a key player for the Knights in the Global T20.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Amir remains the sole Pakistani player in the Vancouver Knights’ squad. In the most recent match, Amir went wicketless and recorded a duck with the bat.
