Will Young to replace Josh Clarkson in New Zealand squad for Dunedin T20I

Will Young has been named as Josh Clarkson's replacement for the third T20I against Pakistan which is slated to commence on January 17 at University Oval in Dunedin. Clarkson was included in the squad and was to replace Kane Williamson in the third game but has been ruled out after sustaining a shoulder injury while playing for the Central Districts in the Super Smash. 

Young will join the New Zealand squad after the second T20I which will be played on Sunday, January 14. The 31-year-old, who made his debut against Bangladesh in March 2021, has so far scored 260 runs off 14 games at an average of 20 with two half-centuries but at a much lower strike rate of 102.36. He caught the eyes of the selectors following a fifty and a hundred for Central Districts in the Super Smash. The top-order batter smashed a blistering 63-ball 101* versus Otago after he hit 50 off just 33 deliveries against Wellington.

Meanwhile, Williamson was benched for the third T20I as the Kiwi captain resumes to oversee his sustaining knee injury. The 33-year-old will join the squad for the final two games, which will be contested on January 19 and 21, respectively.

New Zealand beat Pakistan by 46 runs, take 1-0 lead

New Zealand made a powerful jump in the five-match series, outplaying Pakistan by 46 runs in the opening T20I played in Auckland. Solid half-centuries from Kane Williamson (57) and Daryl Mitchell (61) permitted the Black Caps to set a mammoth 227-run target after being put to bat first. Opener Finn Allen also contributed significantly, scoring a quickfire 15-ball 34 runs. For Pakistan skipper, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Abbas Afridi claimed three wickets while Haris Rauf bagged two.

In response, only Babar Azam (57) struck a fifty but the New Zealand bowlers' onslaught saw Pakistan fall short for 46 runs. Right-armer Tim Southee was the pick of bowlers, finishing with impressive figures of 4/25 in his full quota.