New Zealand’s middle-order batter Daryl Mitchell is set to miss the final T20I against Pakistan which will be played at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Sunday.
Mitchell played the match-winning knock of 72 runs off 44 deliveries with the help of seven fours and two sixes but will miss Sunday’s encounter due to workload management.
“Daryl Mitchell will miss the final match of the KFC T20I Series against Pakistan at Hagley Oval as part of ongoing workload management,” New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said in a brief statement.
New Zealand’s head coach Gary Stead confirmed that young star Rachin Ravindra will replace the right-handed experienced batter to play against Shaheen’s men at Christchurch.
“Daryl is an important player for us across all three formats and ensuring he’s in the best place to perform in international cricket is vital,” Stead said.
“Rachin is coming off a period of rest himself and will bring a valuable skill set to the group in this final match as he continues his return to cricket.”
Ravindra has played 18 T20I matches so far but his record in the shorter format has not been convincing as in 16 innings he batted, the left-handed batter only managed to score 145 runs at an average of 13.18 and 117.88 strike rate.
NZC also confirmed that they will make a final decision on Devon Conway’s participation in the last T20I.
Earlier, Pakistan’s skipper Shaheen Afridi opened up after the helpless Green Shirt side was dominated in the fourth T20I against the Kiwis.
“I think the way Rizwan gave us the start, it was very good. Unfortunately, we couldn’t grab the opportunity in middle overs,” Shaheen said after the match.
“I try to take wickets in the first over. I feel 170 was a good total on this pitch and if we grabbed our chances, we could have won this game,” he added.
