Babar Azam set to be omitted from New Zealand tour

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to drop former captain Babar Azam from the squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand.

The Pakistani team is set to leave for New Zealand on March 12, where the first leg will begin with a five-match T20 series from March 16.

After the T20 series between the two teams, a three-match ODI series will begin from March 29.

According to reports, Babar Azam will not be included in the team due to his recent excellent performance. The board is considering domestic players for the New Zealand series.

These reports have come to light after the team was knocked out of the Champions Trophy in the Green Group stage matches.

The Mohammad Rizwan-led team had suffered defeats in matches against India and New Zealand before its third match against Bangladesh was washed out due to rain.

Pakistan is at the bottom of the points table in the Champions Trophy.

The host team could not qualify for the next round. However, it has pocketed the prize money from the $2.24 million prize pool.

The eighth-placed team earned $140,000 while seventh-placed Bangladesh earned the same amount.

Meanwhile, the winners of the eight-team tournament will earn US$2.24 million, plus the trophy they will lift on March 9.

The runners-up will receive $1.12 million, while the losing semi-finalists will each be left with $560,000, a 53% increase from the 2017 edition.

Every match counts in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy and each group match is worth more than $34,000 to the winning team. The teams finishing fifth or sixth will each earn $350,000.