Pakistan has announced their full-strength T20I and ODI squads for the home series against New Zealand. Babar Azam has been named as the captain of the team while Shadab Khan will be the vice-captain. The training camp will start in Lahore from April 7th, and the series will commence from April 14th, in Lahore.
Shaheen Shah Afridi is all set to return to international cricket after four months when he was named in the Pakistan T20I and ODI squads for the series against New Zealand, which will be played in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi from April 14th to May 7th. Shaheen had missed five Tests and three ODIs against England and New Zealand post the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 as he was completing his rehabilitation following a knee injury he had sustained during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle in July. He had subsequently missed the second Test against Sri Lanka, ODI series against the Netherlands, ACC Asia Cup in the UAE, and seven-match T20I series in Pakistan.
Apart from Shaheen, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Rizwan are also returning to both the squads. All these players had rested for last month’s three-T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah. This means Babar Azam will resume his normal services as captain in the ODI and T20I series against New Zealand, while Shadab will return to his original position as vice-captain.
Three young guns – Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, and Zaman Khan – have been retained in the T20I squad following stellar performances in Sharjah, while Ihsanullah has also been added to the ODI squad for the first time in his career.
The T20I squad consists of Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, and Zaman Khan.
The ODI squad consists of Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, and Usama Mir. The reserves include Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Tayyab Tahir.
The series schedule includes 5 T20Is and 5 ODIs, with T20Is starting at 9 pm and ODIs beginning at 3.30 pm. The first T20I will be played on April 14th in Lahore, followed by the second and third T20I on April 15th and 17th, respectively. The fourth and fifth T20Is will be played on April 20th and April 24th in Rawalpindi, respectively. The first ODI will be played on April 27th in Rawalpindi, followed by the second ODI on April 29th. The third ODI will be played on May 3rd in Karachi, followed by the fourth ODI on May 5th. The series will conclude with the fifth ODI on May 7th in Karachi.
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