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Babar and Rizwan left out of T20Is; Agha named captain Shaheen to miss ODIs
Babar and Rizwan left out of T20Is; Agha named captain Shaheen to miss ODIs
Pakistan have dropped Rizwan and Babar from the T20I squad; Afridi missing from the ODI setup.
Pakistan has made major changes to their T20I squad for the five-match series in New Zealand, leaving out both captain Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam. This is their first squad announcement after a disappointing home Champions Trophy.
Shadab Khan makes a return and is named vice-captain, while Salman Agha takes over as T20I captain. In the ODI squad, Rizwan remains the captain, but Shaheen Afridi has been left out.
According to a PCB release, Mohammad Haris returns after an extended spell out of the national side, while Saim Ayub remains absent with the ankle injury he picked up in South Africa. Hasan Nawaz, the 22-year-old wicketkeeper who has played just 21 T20s, is in the squad. Abdul Samad, the 27-year-old big-hitting batter who is also yet to play PSL cricket, comes in after a positive domestic T20 tournament showing. Quetta Gladiators batter Omair Yousuf earns a call-up as Pakistan pivot sharply away from their experienced batters in the format.
There are fewer changes in the bowling department, with the make-up roughly the same as it was for their recent T20I series in South Africa. Afridi and Haris Rauf are part of the squad, but Naseem Shah - who last played T20Is against Australia in November - remains absent. Spinners Sufiyaan Muqeem and Abrar Ahmed retain their places, while Khushdil Shah comes into the side.
These changes bring an end to an unhappy, if brief, stint as T20I captain for Rizwan. He led Pakistan as full-time captain in just four completed T20Is, losing all of them. He was absent for the three T20Is in Zimbabwe, with Agha leading the team as Pakistan won 2-1.
Babar's absence signals that Pakistan is again moving away from the Babar-Rizwan opening duo in T20Is. Since their pairing began in 2020, opinions have been divided. While critics argue they are too cautious at the start, their consistent run-scoring often compensated for an underperforming middle order, keeping them in contention.
In the ODI squad, the changes are less drastic. Afridi, who was Pakistan's standout bowler in series wins against South Africa and Australia, has been left out. Rizwan continues as ODI captain, with Babar included in the squad. Abdullah Shafique returns after missing the Champions Trophy, while Akif Javed, a left-arm pacer, gets his first ODI call-up. Spinner Sufiyaan Muqeem is also back in the team.
Pakistan T20I squad: Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Omair Yousuf, Salman Agha (c), Irfan Niazi, Abdul Samad, Khushdil Shah, Abbas Afridi, Shadab Khan, Jahandad Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ali, Sufiyaan Muqeem, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed
Pakistan ODI squad: Salman Agha, Mohammad Rizwan (c), Abrar Ahmed, Abdullah Shafique, Akif Javed, Faheem Ashraf, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Khushdil Shah, Irfan Niazi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Naseem Shah, Tayyab Tahir.
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