Cricket / Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi Return as Pakistan Name T20 Squad for Australia
·2 months ago·2 min read
Key Points
- Pakistan announced a 16-member T20I squad for the series against Australia, with all-rounder Salman Ali Agha as captain.
- Former captains Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi return after missing the Sri Lanka series; Mohammad Rizwan overlooked.
- Pakistan will start its T20 World Cup campaign on February 7 against the Netherlands in Colombo.
Lahore, Jan 23: The Pakistan Cricket Board announced a 16-member squad Friday for its three-match T20 series against Australia, which starts January 29 in Lahore. All-rounder Salman Ali Agha will captain the side, which sees the return of star players Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi.
Former captains Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi have returned to the T20I squad after missing the three-match away series against Sri Lanka in January.
Babar was struggling for runs in the ongoing BBL season. He scored just 202 runs in 11 games. His low strike rate of 103.06 was an area of concern for the team. He left his franchise before the playoffs to join his national side. He hopes to turn his fortunes playing at home.
Pakistan boasts a strong batting lineup, which includes the likes of Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, and Sahibzada Farhan, who are in good form. While wicketkeeper-batter Mohammed Rizwan has again been overlooked, his T20I future remains uncertain.
Shadab Khan will continue to build on his comeback in the previous T20I series and will form part of a strong spin-bowling contingent along with Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, and Usman Tariq. While Shaheen, Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Wasim Junior will lead the fast bowling attack.
Pakistan's premier T20I bowler, Harris Rauf, is also missing from the squad. Rauf has performed well in the ongoing Big Bash League. He has taken 20 wickets in just 11 matches and is also the leading wicket-taker of the current season.
Also Read: Supreme Court Seeks Sealed Reports from CBI, ED in Anil Ambani-RCOM Case
Pakistan squad:
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), and Usman Tariq.
Pakistan will start their campaign in the T20 WC on February 7 against the Netherlands. The team will play all its group stage matches in Colombo.
(IANS)
Former captains Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi have returned to the T20I squad after missing the three-match away series against Sri Lanka in January.
Babar was struggling for runs in the ongoing BBL season. He scored just 202 runs in 11 games. His low strike rate of 103.06 was an area of concern for the team. He left his franchise before the playoffs to join his national side. He hopes to turn his fortunes playing at home.
Pakistan boasts a strong batting lineup, which includes the likes of Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, and Sahibzada Farhan, who are in good form. While wicketkeeper-batter Mohammed Rizwan has again been overlooked, his T20I future remains uncertain.
Shadab Khan will continue to build on his comeback in the previous T20I series and will form part of a strong spin-bowling contingent along with Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, and Usman Tariq. While Shaheen, Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Wasim Junior will lead the fast bowling attack.
Pakistan's premier T20I bowler, Harris Rauf, is also missing from the squad. Rauf has performed well in the ongoing Big Bash League. He has taken 20 wickets in just 11 matches and is also the leading wicket-taker of the current season.
Also Read: Supreme Court Seeks Sealed Reports from CBI, ED in Anil Ambani-RCOM Case
Pakistan squad:
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), and Usman Tariq.
Pakistan will start their campaign in the T20 WC on February 7 against the Netherlands. The team will play all its group stage matches in Colombo.
(IANS)
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