Pakistan announce squad for T20I and ODI series against New Zealand, Shaheen Afridi returns

Pakistan Cricket Board announced the squads for the upcoming five-match ODI and T20I series against New Zealand on Tuesday, April 4. Left-arm seamer Shaheen Afridi is all set to don the Pakistan jersey after a gap of five months as he has successfully recovered from the knee injury which saw him miss most of the international cricketing action in 2022.

Afridi has been included in both T20I and ODI squads after his remarkable comeback in the Pakistan Super League Season 8 where he led Lahore Qalandars to a successful title defence. The 22-year-old was seen in imperious form throughout the tournament as he scored 133 runs at a strike rate of 168.35 and grabbed 19 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 21.15.

Afridi last played for Pakistan in the final of the T20 World Cup 2022 against England where he bowled a magnificent spell of 1/13 in 2.1 overs to keep Pakistan in the game while defending a total of 137. However, he had to leave the field at a crucial juncture of the match after struggling to bowl as he had injured his knee while taking a catch on the boundary.

Apart from Shaheen, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan have also returned to the team after being rested for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan which concluded in March 2023.

Youngsters Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub and Zaman Khan have been rewarded for their stellar performances in the PSL and are retained in the T20I squad. Ihsanullah finished as the second-highest wicket-taker of PSL with 22 wickets, and also the highest wicket-taker of the T20I series against Afghanistan picking up six scalps. Owing to his stupendous back-to-back performances, he has also earned a maiden ODI call-up for the upcoming series.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam will return to lead in the ODI and T20I series while Shadab Khan will be his deputy. Pakistan and New Zealand will first lock horns in the five-match T20I series starting on April 14, followed by a five-match ODI series starting on April 27. Both series will be played across three venues namely Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi.

Pakistan Squad for ODI and T20I series vs New Zealand:

T20I: 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

ODI: 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