Pakistan's talismanic captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the second Test against New Zealand starting in Christchurch on Sunday as he struggles to overcome a broken thumb.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The announcement from team doctor Sohail Saleem came just hours after stand-in captain Mohammad Rizwan said Azam had batted well in the nets but wanted more practice time before being confirmed in the starting XI.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Azam has not played on the tour since breaking a thumb during a practice session soon after completing a Covid-enforced 14-day quarantine on arrival in New Zealand.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We have seen an improvement in Babar Azam's injury but he is yet to fully recover," Saleem said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"He is our captain and the most important batsman in our lineup so we do not want to take any risk."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Saleem said the team was "hopeful" he will be available for Pakistan's upcoming home series against South Africa.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rizwan described Babar as Pakistan's Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain whose first-innings century laid the foundation for their 101-run victory in the first Test.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Williamson batted very solid... Babar Azam has the same role in our team. The result may have been different if Babar was playing," he said. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
In a tense finish, New Zealand won the first Test on Wednesday with 27 balls to spare, and Williamson acknowledged Azam would have strengthened Pakistan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"He's one of the best players in the world. He obviously adds a lot," Williamson said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We saw how challenging it is against this Pakistan side. You add Babar to that and it strengthens it."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
There is a lot at stake for New Zealand in the second Test, where they need to win to have a chance of making the World Test Championship final at Lords in June.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
New Zealand are vying with Australia, India and England to make the final two.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
A draw or better will confirm New Zealand as number one in the world rankings, extending their unbeaten home record to 17 Tests. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
Victory will see New Zealand win six consecutive Tests for the first time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But Williamson, newly named the number one batsman in the world, said accolades and rankings were not a focus.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"You know these are very difficult things to control and these rankings sort of move every day," Williamson said, adding there was something special about the current Black Caps squad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Looking back, we've always been competitive at times but certainly not all the time and the team's come a long way in terms of bringing an element of consistency."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Occasional showers disrupted practice in Christchurch on Saturday, but the forecast is for fine weather throughout the Test.<\/p>\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2021\/01\/nz-vs-pak-babar-azam-ruled-out-of-second-test-against-new-zealand.jpg", "alt_img": "image for cricket babar azam ruled out of 2nd test", "alt_title": "Babar Azam", "image1": "", "video": "", "seo_title": "NZ vs Pak: Babar Azam Ruled Out Of Second Test Against New Zealand On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "Pakistan's talismanic captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the second Test against New Zealand starting in Christchurch on Sunday.", "seo_keywords": "Pakistan Tour of New Zealand, pakistan cricket news, Babar Azam", "tag": "", "tagging": "Pakistan Tour of New Zealand,pakistan cricket news,Babar Azam,", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": "0", "slug": "nz-vs-pak-babar-azam-ruled-out-of-second-test-against-new-zealand", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": "0000-00-00", "ians_time": "00:00:00", "server_time": "0000-00-00 00:00:00", "trash": "0", "view_count": "3384", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2021-01-02 15:40:37", "updated": "2021-01-02 15:40:57", "img_from": "Babar Azam", "img_source": "", "schedule_publish": "0000-00-00 00:00:00", "news_keywords": "Babar Azam, Pakistan, New Zealand, NZ vs Pak, Test, Ruled Out", "livescore_text": "", "livescore_link": "", "btn_text": "", "resend_feed": "0", "google_feed": "0", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "21", "jio_date": "2021-01-02 15:40:37", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "0", "google_date": "2021-01-02 15:40:37", "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": null, "article_content_type": null, "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/nz-vs-pak-babar-azam-ruled-out-of-second-test-against-new-zealand-69539" }