Full-strength squad named for NZ series

ISLAMABAD: Babar Azam’s favorite players will spring into action from April 14 during the series against New Zealand after missing the away T20 series against Afghanistan with Pakistan star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi all set to return to international cricket after an absence of four months.

Shadab has been retained as Babar’s deputy with Mohammad Rizwan to be seen resuming his duties behind the wicket while Fakhar Zaman carrying the brunt of top-order batting. Though Shaheen led Lahore Qalandars to a title triumph in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) VIII, he has been out of international cricket for the last four months. He last played against England in the T20 World Cup final and broke down in between.

Shaheen will return to action in the Pakistan T20I and ODI series against New Zealand, which will be played from April 14 to May 7 in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi. The star bowler had missed five Tests and three ODIs against England and New Zealand after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 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 the seven-match T20I series in Pakistan. The 22-year-old, who has taken 99 Test, 62 ODI and 58 T20I wickets, staged a remarkable comeback in the PSL VIII when he inspired Qalandars to become the first side to successfully defend the title. Shaheen’s performance was also outstanding with the bat and the ball as he scored 133 runs at a strike rate of 168.35 and grabbed 19 wickets at an economy rate of 9.13. He was rightly named captain of the franchise for the PSL VIII.

Apart from Shaheen, also returning to both the squads are Babar, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan. All these players had rested for last month’s three-T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah.

Though Faheem Ashraf was not at his best during the one odd match he played during the series against Afghanistan, he has retained his position in the T20 team more due to the support Babar has shown for him.

This means Babar will resume his normal services as a 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.

T20I squad: 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.

ODI squad: 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.

Reserves: Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed and Tayyab Tahir.