Shahbaz Ahmed named as replacement for the ruled out Axar Patel in the final two T20s against South Africa.
Axar ruled out of last two T20Is against South Africa; Shahbaz Ahmed named replacement.
Due to illness, Axar Patel has missed the last two Twenty20 Internationals against South Africa. He has been replaced by Shahbaz Ahmed.
“He [Axar] is with the team in Lucknow, where he will be further medically assessed,” the BCCI stated in a statement. Axar was also absent from the third Twenty20 International in Dharamsala. Due to personal circumstances, Jasprit Bumrah was also unable to play in that match. India won by seven wickets after substituting Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Rana.
In the first two games, Axar’s results were inconsistent. He took 2 for 7 and scored 23 off 21 in a winning cause in Cuttack. After taking 1 for 27 in three overs in New Chandigarh, with India chasing 214, he was promoted to No. 3. He could score only a run-a-ball 21.
Shahbaz has represented India in two Twenty20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals, the most recent of which was the 2023 Asian Games final in Hangzhou versus Afghanistan. In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he received mediocre returns. He collected four wickets at an economy of 8.25 while playing for Bengal, scoring just 60 runs at a strike rate of 133.33 in five games.
The teams will travel to Ahmedabad for the last match following the fourth Twenty20 International in Lucknow. The five-match series is now 2-1 in India’s favour.