Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman has said that he is happy with his new batting position in Pakistan’s T20I side, ahead of their five-match T20I series against New Zealand.

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Following their third and final Test match against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Pakistan will travel south to New Zealand to play a five-match T20I series. The series will begin on January 12 with the first match slated to be held in Auckland.

Zaman, who is not part of the Test setup, is gearing up for the T20I series against the Kiwis. As quoted by Cricket Pakistan, Zaman revealed that he would be batting at number 3 or 4 and not his usual opening slot.

“Competition is necessary for any team. It’s good that six players are available for one spot in the team. I have always opened for the team but as per situation, I have been instructed to play one down or two down, because as you know Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been performing as openers,” said Zaman.

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He went on to say that the coach and skipper have asked him to bat down the order and he’s happy doing that for the team. Zaman has scored 812 runs in 36 T20I matches, while opening the batting for Pakistan.

“The coach and captain has commanded me to play one down or two down and I am happy with that,” Zaman added.

Pakistan squad for New Zealand series

Shaheen Afridi (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Haseebullah Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan.

Pakistan’s schedule for T20I series:

January 12: New Zealand vs Pakistan – First T20I in Auckland

January 14: New Zealand vs Pakistan – Second T20I in Hamilton

January 17: New Zealand vs Pakistan – Third T20I in Dunedin

January 19: New Zealand vs Pakistan – Fourth T20I in Christchurch

January 21: New Zealand vs Pakistan – Fifth T20I in Christchurch