The team management of the Pakistan National Cricket Team made a strange decision of leaving out the vice-captain Shan Masood from the playing XI for the first ODI against the New Zealand National Cricket Team on Monday, January 9.

The first ODI of the three-match series between the Babar Azam-led Pakistan National Cricket Team and the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand National Cricket Team is in progress at the Public Arena in Karachi.

The 33-year-old Shan Masood acquired his ODI re-call in the wake of passing up 50-over cricket for the beyond three years. He last played ODIs for Pakistan National Cricket Team in 2019 in the five-match series against Australia National Cricket Team in the Unified Bedouin Emirates (UAE). He scored 111 runs in those matches at a normal of 22.20 and a strike pace of 76.55, including one 50 years.

Shan Masood was also named as the vice-captain in absence of Shadab Khan, who got ruled out of the series due to a finger injury he sustained in Australia, and ahead of the star wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan.

After the arrangement of Shan Masood as the bad habit skipper reports arose that the Pakistan chief Babar Azam knew nothing about the turn of events and the choice was taken by the recently designated PCB director Najam Sethi. Prominently, at the pre-match public interview, Babar Azam had said that he isn't certain about whether Masood will be important for the playing XI for the main ODI.

"We can't talk about any individual at the moment, whether he's vice-captain or X, Y, Z. We will try to field our best playing XI and try to win the series." Meanwhile, Pakistan's middle-order positions are occupied by Haris Sohail, Agha Salman, and Mohammad Rizwan in the absence of Shan Masood.

Pakistan (Playing XI) For 1st ODI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Haris Sohail, Agha Salman, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.