Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday named a new-look 15-player squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, which will be played from March 24 to March 27 in Sharjah.
Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir, and Zaman Khan are the four uncapped players in the team, which will be captained by all-rounder Shadab Khan. Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, and Imad Wasim have been called up.
Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, and Khushdil Shah have been dropped, while Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi have been rested. These nine athletes competed for Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, where they progressed to the championship game.
Players from the previous T20I series that have been retained include Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Naseem Shah, and Shan Masood in addition to Shadab.
Pakistan squad
- 1. Shadab Khan (captain) (Islamabad United)
- 2. Abdullah Shafique (Lahore Qalandars)
- 3. Azam Khan (Islamabad United)
- 4. Faheem Ashraf (Islamabad United)
- 5. Iftikhar Ahmed (Quetta Gladiators)
- 6. Ihsanullah (Multan Sultans)
- 7. Imad Wasim (Karachi Kings)
- 8. Mohammad Haris (Peshawar Zalmi)
- 9. Mohammad Nawaz (Quetta Gladiators)
- 10. Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Islamabad United)
- 11. Naseem Shah (Quetta Gladiators)
- 12. Saim Ayub (Peshawar Zalmi)
- 13. Shan Masood (Multan Sultans)
- 14. Tayyab Tahir (Karachi Kings)
- 15. Zaman Khan (Lahore Qalandars)
Reserve players- Abrar Ahmed (Islamabad United), Haseebullah (Peshawar Zalmi), and Usama Mir (Multan Sultans).
Chair of PCB Management Committee, Najam Sethi:
I want to congratulate Shadab Khan on his appointment as the Pakistan team captain for the series against Afghanistan. Shadab Khan has been the Pakistan vice-captain in white-ball cricket for the past couple of years and it is logical that he takes over the side in the absence of Babar Azam for the short three-match T20I tour of Sharjah.
“For the short Sharjah tour and to ensure continuity, we have also appointed Mohammad Yousuf as the interim head and batting coach. Yousuf has been with the national side since last year as a batting coach and has also been working in the National High-Performance Centre.”
