Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selector (Muhammad Wasim) has included four experienced players and included uncapped Azam Khan in the squad for England and West Indies tour.
Wasim has included four experienced players and included uncapped Azam Khan in the squads for the tours of England and the West Indies. Pakistan will play three ODIs and as many T20Is in England from 8th July to 20th July, before taking on world champions West Indies in five T20Is that will be followed by two Tests.
Middle-order batsman ‘Haris Sohail’ has been named in the ODI side, however, Imad Wasim has returned to the T20 side. Fast bowlers Mohammad Abbas and Naseem Shah have returned to the Test side.
Yasir Shah would be included according to his fitness as he is yet to fully recover from the knee injury that sidelined him from the Zimbabwe Tests.
Wasim has retained leg-spinner ‘Zahid Mahmood’ along with left-arm spinner ‘Nauman Ali’ and off-spinner ‘Sajid Khan’ for the Jamaica Tests.
Uncapped ‘Saud Shakeel’ has also reclaimed his spot after missing South Africa ODIs due to an injury. ‘Salman Ali Agha’ is also included for ODIs who have lost their Test spot.
‘Fakhar Zaman’ has maintained his place in the original squad after being drafted as an additional player for Zimbabwe T20Is following a stellar performance in South Africa.
Quetta Gladiator’s ‘Azam Khan’, 22, hard-hitting batsman, is the new face in the T20I squad.
ODI Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Usman Qadir.
T20I Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Arshad Iqbal, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sharjeel Khan, and Usman Qadir.
Test Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper) (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Yasir Shah (subject to fitness) and Zahid Mahmood.
Wasim said, “We have remained consistent in our selection and kept the same core of cricketers who have been in the set-up for a while. This is an extremely important and critical tour for Pakistan as we will be playing the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs against England as well as the T20Is against England and the West Indies as part of our preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The Jamaica Test will count towards the ICC World Test Championship.
“As such, keeping in view the above and in consultation with captain Babar Azam and head Misbah-ul-Haq, we have tried our best to maintain the winning combinations but at the same time recalled four experienced players and rewarded uncapped Azam Khan for his domestic performance, while also giving him the required confidence for the future challenges.
“Mohammad Abbas has regained his form, Naseem Shah and Haris Sohail have reclaimed the required fitness standards, while Imad Wasim has been recalled considering the T20 World Cup is likely to be held in the UAE and he enjoys an excellent record there.
“The return of these four players meant we had to leave some players, which is never an easy decision. But we have collectively opted for what was in the best interest of the side, taking into consideration the opponents and the requirement of the formats on the upcoming tours.
“The players who have missed on selection will remain part of our strategy, and, as such, they will continue to work on their technical game at the National High-Performance Centre under the watchful eyes of Mohammad Yousuf and Saqlain Mushtaq.
“Yasir Shah’s inclusion is subject to clearing his fitness test. He was sidelined due to a knee injury after the second Test against South Africa earlier this year and was expected to reclaim complete fitness for the West Indies tour. It, however, has not been the case, but we remain hopeful that he will complete his rehabilitation before the departure.
“The side since the home series against South Africa has maintained an upward movement, but still there are a few loose ends that we would like to close by the end of the England and West Indies tours so that there is absolute clarity on our compositions for the post-West Indies tour engagements.
“I strongly believe the changes will plug those gaps and will put us in a strong position in our endeavors to feature in the top three across all formats by the end of 2023.”
Tour schedule:
25 June – Departure for Manchester
6 July – Arrival in Cardiff
8 July – 1st ODI, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
10 July – 2nd ODI, Lord’s, London
13 July – 3rd ODI, Edgbaston, Birmingham
16 July – 1st T20I, Trent Bridge, Nottingham
18 July – 2nd T20I, Headingley, Leeds
20 July – 3rd T20I, Old Trafford, Manchester
21 Jul – Arrival in Barbados
27 Jul – 1st T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados
28 Jul – 2nd T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados
31 Jul – 3rd T20I, Providence Stadium, Guyana
1 Aug – 4th T20I, Providence Stadium, Guyana
3 Aug – 5th T20I, Providence Stadium, Guyana
6-7 Aug – Two-day practice match, Guyana
12-16 Aug – 1st Test, Sabina Park, Jamaica
20-24 Aug – 2nd Test, Sabina Park, Jamaica
25 Aug – Departure
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