PSL performance earns Fakhar Zaman maiden call-up in Pakistan T20I team

The Pakistan selectors named the limited-overs squads for the tour of West Indies. In the T20I team, Inzamam-ul-Haq & Co. have awarded domestic performers who did well in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) with spots in the team. Left-hand batsman Fakhar Zaman who played for the Lahore Qalandars was among the lot and has earned his maiden call-up.

Umar Akmal who was a part of the ODI squad for the tour of Australia failed to clear the fitness test devised by the selectors as a basic parameter for all the players has been excluded from the team. While his brother wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal and opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad have both been able to stage their comebacks in the team. They have also decided to rest pacer Mohammad Amir for the T20I series.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had organized a training camp for the handpicked domestic players – 41 of them in all under the national coach Mickey Arthur. That was to acquaint Arthur with the bench strength and the prospective players who could be awarded outings in the Pakistan team in the near future.

Eight players from the camp were named in the 31-men preliminary squad for the West Indies tour; they were: Fakhar Zaman, Asif Zakir, Mohammad Abbas, Usman Khan, Amad Butt, Shadab Khan, Hussain Talat and Fahim Ashraf.

Along with Fakhr, Usman Khan and Shadab Khan have also been picked in the team from among those included in the preliminary team.

Talking about the talent that he witnessed in the camp Arthur said: “These are the guys who have performed in domestic competitions and now we can put a name and we know exactly how they’ve performed we’ve taken a lot of notes on them, so it was great, it was really nice to see it, there was some nice talent which was pleasing to see.”

Pakistan T20I squad for West Indies tour:

Ahmad Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (C), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Usman Khan Shinwari, Ruman Raees

Pakistan will play 4 T20Is on the limited-overs tour of West Indies along with 3 ODIs from March 26 to April 11. In the second half of the tour, they will play 3 Tests against the hosts starting April 22 the series will conclude on May 14.