The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Tuesday announced the squads for the one-day international (ODI) and T20 international (T20I) series against New Zealand.
\nShaheen Shah Afridi is all set to return to international cricket after four months when he was named in the Pakistan squads for the series against New Zealand, which will be played in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi from April 14 to May 7.
\nShaheen had missed five Tests and three ODIs against England and New Zealand post the ICC Men\u2019s 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.
\nHe 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.
\nThe 22-year-old, who has taken 99 Test, 62 ODI and 58 T20I wickets, staged a remarkable comeback in the Pakistan Super League 8 when he inspired Lahore Qalandars to become the first side to successfully defend the title.
\nNot only that, Shaheen\u2019s own performance was outstanding both with the bat and the ball \u2014 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 Team of HBL PSL 8.
\nApart from Shaheen, also returning to both the squads are Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan. All these players had rested for last month\u2019s three-T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah.
\nThis 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.
\nThree young guns \u2014 Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub and Zaman Khan \u2014 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.
\nThe squad will assemble in Lahore on 6 April where the training camp will commence on 7 April.
\nSquads
\nT20I: 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
\nODI: 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
\nSeries schedule (T20Is to start at 9pm; ODIs to begin at 3.30pm):
\n14 Apr – 1st T20I, Lahore
\n15 Apr \u2013 2nd T20I, Lahore
\n17 Apr \u2013 3rd T20I, Lahore
\n20 Apr \u2013 4th T20I, Rawalpindi
\n24 Apr \u2013 5th T20I, Rawalpindi
\n27 Apr \u2013 1st ODI, Rawalpindi
\n29 Apr \u2013 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi
\n3 May \u2013 3rd ODI, Karachi
\n5 May \u2013 4th ODI, Karachi
\n7 May \u2013 5th ODI, Karachi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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