Pakistan batter Usman Khan has been ruled out of the second ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury. The injury occurred while fielding during the opening match of the series on March 29. An MRI scan revealed a low-grade tear, which has kept him out of the Hamilton ODI.
Usman made his ODI debut in the series opener, scoring 39 runs off 33 balls while opening the batting. He formed an 83-run partnership with Abdullah Shafique for the first wicket, although Pakistan fell short in their chase of 345. The 23-year-old has played 19 T20Is for Pakistan, having debuted in 2024, and has batted in the middle order at Nos. 3 and 4.
In Usman’s absence, Pakistan has several options to open the batting with Shafique. Imam-ul-Haq, who returned to the ODI squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy after Fakhar Zaman was ruled out with an oblique injury, is a possible replacement. Alternatively, Babar Azam could move to the top of the order, as he did during the Champions Trophy, with an allrounder like Khushdil Shah or Faheem Ashraf filling the middle order. Babar scored 78 off 83 balls while batting at No. 3 in the first ODI.
Pakistan suffered a 73-run defeat in the opening ODI at McLean Park, extending their poor run to five losses in six completed ODIs in 2025.
