Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday announced their 15-man squad for the upcoming three match T20I series against West Indies at home.
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Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Imad Wasim have been dropped from the upcoming series at home. The PCB selectors have also rested Hasan Ali and Mohammad Hasnain in their 15-man squad.
PCB have included Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Wasim Jr in their 17-man ODI squad, with Abdullah Shafique included as a reserve.
Former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed was a late inclusion in Pakistan’s squad for the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup in UAE. He did not get any opportunity to feature in the tournament but played in the previous series against Bangladesh. Sarfaraz has hardly got a chance to play in the past two years. Similarly, Shoaib Malik who played some handy knocks in the WC also featured in a match against Bangladesh where he was dismissed for a duck.
“As we have been playing T20Is since October and now have a pretty settled and balanced side, we have decided to reduce the number of players to 15. As such, we have not included Imad Wasim, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik,” PCB’s chief selector Muhammad Wasim said.
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“In consultation with Hasan Ali and taking into consideration that he has been playing non-stop cricket since returning from a back injury, we have decided to give him time off from this series,” he added.
Pakistan will play three T20Is and as many ODIs against West Indies. All the matches will be played in Karachi’s national stadium between December 13 and 22.
Pakistan T20I squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir.
Pakistan ODI squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Hasnain, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir.
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