Shaheen Afridi will lead a strong 17-member squad in the bilateral T20I series against New Zealand in early January.
Shaheen Afridi’s first stint as full-time T20I captain will begin with the series in New Zealand from January 12, a few days after the third and final Test of the ICC World Test Championship series against Australia.
Senior all-rounder Shadab Khan, who was vice-captain of the T20I team in the Men’s T20 World Cup last year, missed selection due to injury.
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Shadab Khan He is a very important member of Pakistan T20 cricket. Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle injury (during the National T20 Championship) and requires an additional two weeks of rehabilitation. After that, he will be available to play,” said chief selector Wahab Riaz while announcing the squad regarding Shadab’s absence.
Several other debutants took a look at the team which included as many as three wicketkeepers.
However, Mohammad Haris, who had notable performances in the T20 World Cup, was left out of the squad as Riaz made it clear that he is comfortable experimenting with other players who have done well in domestic cricket.
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Azam Khan, one of the three wicket-keepers, came in to receive a special mention from Riyad.
“We have been monitoring Azam Khan closely. Sometimes, you have to favor skills over fitness. If a player can win a match, that is more important than anything else,” Riaz said.
The hard-hitting batsman, son of former wicketkeeper-batsman Moin Khan, will be given the No.6 spot according to the chief selector.
“We have seen that he is a hugely influential player in the IPL, domestic cricket and other tournaments – we have tried many players at number six, so now we want to give Azam a chance,” Riaz said.
Twenty-year-old Haseebullah Khan, who has impressed in the Pakistan Super League, is the other wicket-keeper-batsman in the team.
Fast bowlers Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Ehsanullah were not considered as they are recovering and regaining fitness.
Pakistan squad: Shaheen Afridi (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Haseebullah Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan.