Pakistan likely to feature Usman, Naseem, Rauf in first England T20I

LAHORE: Pakistan are likely to make three major changes in the first T20 Internationals against England on May 22, Geo News reported quoting sources on Saturday.

The sources said top order batsman Usman Khan and two star pacers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah will make it to the playing XI in the first match, while a pacer might be dropped to make room for either all-rounder spinner Shadab Khan or leg spin bowler Abrar Ahmed.

It should be noted that Rauf and Usman could not be featured in the Ireland series, which Pakistan won 2-1. Nevertheless, the team management has decided to play a combination of full-strength bench now viewing the upcoming World Cup T20I.

The sources said Usman was likely to replace Saim Ayub in the playing XI, whereas Rauf will take place of Hasan Ali. Meanwhile, Naseem will also be incorporated in the team, they added.

They said the final decision regarding changes in the squad would be taken in consultation with the white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten, who would join the team on Sunday (tomorrow).

The four-match Pakistan-England series is set to begin on May 22 right before the T20 World Cup, which is slotted to begin on June 1 in the United States and West Indies.

Schedule

May 22: First T20I at Leeds

May 25: Second T20I at Birmingham

May 28: Third T20I at Cardiff

May 30: Fourth T20I at The Oval

Pakistan squad

Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan.

England squad

Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.