[VIDESO/PICTURES] Pakistan announce ODI and T20I squads for series against New Zealand

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Shaheen Shah Afridi is all set to return to international cricket after four months when he was named in the Pakistan T20I and ODI squads for the series against New Zealand, which will be played in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi from 14 April to 7 May.

Shaheen had missed five Tests and three ODIs against England and New Zealand post the ICC Men’s 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. He 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.

The 22-year-old, who has taken 99 Test, 62 ODI and 58 T20I wickets, staged a remarkable comeback in the HBL Pakistan Super League 8 when he inspired Lahore Qalandars to become the first side to successfully defend the title. Not only that, Shaheen’s own performance was outstanding both with the bat and the ball – 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.

Apart 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’s three-T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah.

This 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.

Three young guns – Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub and Zaman Khan – 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.

The squad will assemble in Lahore on 6 April where the training camp will commence on 7 April.

SQUADS:

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. Reserves: Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed and Tayyab Tahir

Series schedule (T20Is to start at 9pm; ODIs to begin at 3.30pm):

14 Apr - 1st T20I, Lahore
15 Apr – 2nd T20I, Lahore
17 Apr – 3rd T20I, Lahore
20 Apr – 4th T20I, Rawalpindi
24 Apr – 5th T20I, Rawalpindi
27 Apr – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi
29 Apr – 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi
3 May – 3rd ODI, Karachi
5 May – 4th ODI, Karachi
7 May – 5th ODI, Karachi
 
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Good ODI squad

Horrendous T20 squad. Should have just let the guys have another go!
 
Amazing how Shan Masood is in both ODI and T20i squad
 
Amazing how Shan Masood is in both ODI and T20i squad

He will be in every squad, its obvious that they are trying to make him captain

Not good enough for Multan Sultans, but good enough for Pakistan

Its disgusting, the Shan coup was delayed, but sadly it hasnt been killed
 
He will be in every squad, its obvious that they are trying to make him captain

Not good enough for Multan Sultans, but good enough for Pakistan

Its disgusting, the Shan coup was delayed, but sadly it hasnt been killed

If he honestly has Pakistan’s best interest at heart, then he should retire at least from T20i format

He knows that he is playing unjustly. A decent bloke like him should realise the injustice caused by his political connections
 
So looks like all the fuss about Shadab Khan was bit of a hogwash.

Back in the side and as VC.
 
Sensible decision over Shadab, Sethi lost his nerve and made a sensible decision. I don't see what Shan brings to the table. I would have dropped both Haris Rauf and Naseem for these matches.
 
Really bad squad and bad choice on captain & vice captain.

The circus continues under Sethi
 
Abdullah Shafique shouldn't have been excluded for the T20Is. He's better than Shan Masood.

The decision to retain Shadab as VC is also a poor one. I'd take Saim Ayub over Imam or Shan in ODIs as well.

But the worst decision is the exclusion of Imad Wasim in ODIs. His lower order batting will be needed in India during the WC later this year.
 
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Shan Masood is a clear blotch on the face of any claim of merit in Pakistan cricket. Its pathetic on how he gets selected for the t20I squad while Abdullah Shafique gets dropped. Disgusting.
 
Nothing has changed .

Should have played the same t20squad against depleted nz side.
They are too worried about losing meaningless t20s against a newzealand d side.
 
Shan does not deserve a place in the T20 squad. How does chacha keep getting picked? It’s beyond me!

Imad should have been in the ODI squad. Why has Saud Shakeel been discarded?
 
These are the probable line ups from the squad:

ODIs:

Imam Ul Haq
Fakhar Zaman
Babar Azam (C)
Mohammed Rizwan ( Wk)
Haris Sohail
Agha Salman
Shadab Khan
Mohammed Nawaz
Shaheen Afridi
Naseem Shah
Ihsanullah

T20Is:

Babar Azam (C)
Mohammed Rizwan (Wk)
Saim Ayub
Fakhar Zaman
Mohammed Haris
Ifthikhar Ahmed
Imad Wasim
Shadab Khan
Shaheen Afridi
Haris Rauf
Ihsanullah
 
It's going to be difficult to choose T20 batting line up. We literally have 5 openers in the side. With RizBab being permanent openers, Saim and Haris need to prove themselves in middle order. Ideally I would love to see one of them opening with Rizwan and Babar @3.
 
1 fast bowler too many in odi squad. Short of a batsman at least. If they can pick ihsanullah the newcomer then why not saim Ayub.
It should have been Saud shakeel in place of Haris sohail who is a spent force.
Imad deserves a place too.
Shan Masood well what can be said
 
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I dont think Haris Sohail should have been there.. ..instead should try Saud Shakeel at that position for ODIs..
 
Has anyone noticed no M Wasim but Faheem Ashraf in T20s...terrible!
 
What has Naseem Shah done to continually get picked?
 
Shaan is the type of player that would make a decent test captain but he is too inconsistent and lacks the talent to be successful over a period of time.
 
Taken some 9 or 10 wickets in the last 2 ODIs that he played.

At least he's had one good series, been poor in PSL and against Afg so hope he doesn't carry that uselessness into the NZ series. He's not going to turn into the bowling equivalent of Asad Shafiq? One decent match here or there to save his spot.
 
Shaan is the type of player that would make a decent test captain but he is too inconsistent and lacks the talent to be successful over a period of time.

Given Shan’s work ethic, if he had say Haider Ali’s talent, he would probably be the second best batsman in Pakistan.

But he doesn’t. I imagine he’s probably great in the dressing room.

Which is why I think he’s got the potential to be a very good future coach, if he so chooses.
 
Given Shan’s work ethic, if he had say Haider Ali’s talent, he would probably be the second best batsman in Pakistan.

But he doesn’t. I imagine he’s probably great in the dressing room.

Which is why I think he’s got the potential to be a very good future coach, if he so chooses.

Totally agree. But PK is looking back with his selection. We haven't learnt anything from the Malik,Hafeez debacle for over a decade
 
No.5 spot in ODIs is up for grabs and PCB should have had more batters in the squad to try out.

Fakhar, Imam, Babar, Rizwan, Haris, Agha, Shadab, Usama, Shaheen, Rauf, Ihsanullah
 
Well T20s are not that important this year. Pak lost the chance to win at least won WT20 with back 2 back WCs.

Now the focus should be on ODI cricket. Get a group of 15 players that are good enough to conpete in India.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Babar Azam came to see me today. I told him he will lead the ODI and T20I national team against New Zealand. And then <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheRealPCB</a> announced the squads. So all those who were spreading fake fears are out of jobs today.</p>— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) <a href="https://twitter.com/najamsethi/status/1643280566257872898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Squads are fine but the batting order needs to be tweaked.

T20 - Fakhar must be opening

ODI - Rizwan should not bat in the top 4
 
Faheem Ashraf and Iftikhar do not deserve to be picked. Wasim J should had been selected.
 
T20s
1. Fakhar
2. Rizwan
3. Babar
4. Haris
5. Masood
6. Iftikhar
7. Imad
8. Shadab
9. Rauf
10. Shaheen
11. Ishanullah

Fakhar was the best opener in PSL and is worth trying as opener again. I’d rather not play Saim at all than play him as opener. We should have persisted with players who have had some experience middle order like Azam. Salman agha could have played too in t20s.


In ODIs Haris sohail, Salman agha, Imam, Nawaz come in for haris, masood, Iftikhar and Imad. Imad should be playing ODIs though too. Again with Abdullah like Saim there is no space in the top 3 again so can’t fit in.
 
Will never understand the love for Fakhar Zaman in T20s. Averages just over 20 in the last 3 years and has the same SR as Babar and Rizwan but I'm sure some most fans will think he is a better answer to the opening slot than Babar and Rizwan. Should have better numbers in T20s considering he's a power hitter and his ODI numbers are very good.
 
Several players in both squads who must be in last chance saloon and need to up their game after having enough chances.

Ifthi, Faheem Ashraf amongst them.
 
Will never understand the love for Fakhar Zaman in T20s. Averages just over 20 in the last 3 years and has the same SR as Babar and Rizwan but I'm sure some most fans will think he is a better answer to the opening slot than Babar and Rizwan. Should have better numbers in T20s considering he's a power hitter and his ODI numbers are very good.
I think he’s been awful. But he has the potential and was brilliant this recent PSL so worth one last try again. If he fails again, probably worth dropping him for good in the format.

Also coincides with Babar looking a little off of late in t20s despite still scoring pretty consistently. The drop to no.3 might be good for him. It would probably be a stronger team if babar did well at 3 even if fakhar was a worse opener than Babar. But if fakhar is going to be as bad as he has been in the past for t20s, won’t be worth it, Babar should open. Is why I’d be ready for one last chance for fakhar.
 
I think since T20s are not so important this year it's worth keeping him in the format just to keep his morale up. I do think he's more suited as an opener and even though he averages less if he can make use of the power play and get like 25 off 12 it's worth playing him but breaking up the Babar Rizwan pair will not be easy. Though I think one of the main reasons there's so much talk of captaincy change is because the Sethi regime is also keen to break the opening pair and probably thinks it's not possible if Babar stays captain.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Babar Azam came to see me today. I told him he will lead the ODI and T20I national team against New Zealand. And then <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheRealPCB</a> announced the squads. So all those who were spreading fake fears are out of jobs today.</p>— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) <a href="https://twitter.com/najamsethi/status/1643280566257872898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Sethi himself just has 2 months before his circus comes to an end.
 
Good to see Saim and Harris make the cut for the T20, and with Fakhar also there, would liked to have seen another big hitter instead of Shan or Iftikhar. We could then frontload the batting babyyyy! [MENTION=140816]reversehook[/MENTION]
 
Good to see Saim and Harris make the cut for the T20, and with Fakhar also there, would liked to have seen another big hitter instead of Shan or Iftikhar. We could then frontload the batting babyyyy! [MENTION=140816]reversehook[/MENTION]

You are too optimistic brother... dont hold your breath on it... it will be the same playing friendly 11 as per usuall... dont expect and bravery or creativity from babar160...
 
Several players in both squads who must be in last chance saloon and need to up their game after having enough chances.

Ifthi, Faheem Ashraf amongst them.

Saj bhai when did you start standup comedy? you know this isnt gonna happen :p
 
Other than Shan's (mis)selection there are only a few issues as most of these players are automatic selections.

For T20s Shan should have been dropped instead of Abdullah. Also we could have done without Faheem who adds very little with his bowling and instead picked a specialist spinner in Usama or Abrar.

For ODIs again Shan should not have been there. Kamran Ghulam should have been retained instead who has been treated very unfairly these last couple of years despite being one of the top domestic performers across formats. Haris Sohail is a spent force and not fit for international cricket. The most he can do is contribute meaningless 20 and 30s on a good day. Should have made way for someone more dynamic like Saim, Iftikhar or even Imad. And if we absolutely had to pick a middle order anchor, Saud would have been a much better choice. Finally, should have dropped one of the pacers (ideally Naseem or Wasim) for Abrar. There will be very few chances to experiment before the WC and we should have tested out our specialist spinners.
 
Babar and Rizwan are going to Stat pad again against B bowling attack of NZ.

Will most likely play only play Saim
And Haris in T20’s and then replace both with Shan and Haris Sohail for ODI.

For t20’s with Imad and Shadab id like us to bowl with Haris,Shaheen, Ihsan and Zaman in a game.

T20

Babar
Rizwan
Saim
Fakhar
Ifitkhar
Imad
Shadab
Shaheen
Naseem/Haris
Zaman
Ihsan
 
Decent squad though I would have liked Abdullah shafique over Shan in t20 and Saim ayub over Shan in odis.
 
Abdullah is not suited for T20....Shan is clearly a parchi I thought he merited in test squad couple of years ago but even that i dont agree with as well out of form. Mohammed Nawaz is another well out of form. The issue is the team doesnt have the right balance in white ball. They finally got the right balance in last T20 and they won that.
 
Iftikhar should had been in the team along with saud shakeel.

Has salman ali aghar performed in one day?

The team has too many openers and limited middle order. Ifti warrants a place
 
These are the probable line ups from the squad:

ODIs:

Imam Ul Haq
Fakhar Zaman
Babar Azam (C)
Mohammed Rizwan ( Wk)
Haris Sohail
Agha Salman
Shadab Khan
Mohammed Nawaz
Shaheen Afridi
Naseem Shah
Ihsanullah

T20Is:

Babar Azam (C)
Mohammed Rizwan (Wk)
Saim Ayub
Fakhar Zaman
Mohammed Haris
Ifthikhar Ahmed
Imad Wasim
Shadab Khan
Shaheen Afridi
Haris Rauf
Ihsanullah

I hope they don't continue with Rizwan at 4, he's out of place there. Shafique at 4 with Riz moving down the order.
 
These are the probable line ups from the squad:

ODIs:

Imam Ul Haq
Fakhar Zaman
Babar Azam (C)
Mohammed Rizwan ( Wk)
Haris Sohail
Agha Salman
Shadab Khan
Mohammed Nawaz
Shaheen Afridi
Naseem Shah
Ihsanullah

T20Is:

Babar Azam (C)
Mohammed Rizwan (Wk)
Saim Ayub
Fakhar Zaman
Mohammed Haris
Ifthikhar Ahmed
Imad Wasim
Shadab Khan
Shaheen Afridi
Haris Rauf
Ihsanullah

I think you're probably spot on given the squads that have been picked. I still prefer to see Imad Wasim over Nawaz in the ODI side but the t20 side is as good as it's gonna get.
 
Are we not done with useless Faheem and Chacha :sarf_facepalm

Iftikhar may be a canny selection given he turns the ball the other way to the spinners we've picked. We aren't exactly flush for options in the middle order either, whether we pick Ifti or someone else the player will be ultimately underwhelming with the bat.
 
I hope they don't continue with Rizwan at 4, he's out of place there. Shafique at 4 with Riz moving down the order.

Agreed, I'd put in Shafique for Agha Salman.

4. Shafique
5. Sohail
6. Rizwan
 
The middle order of the ODI team after Babar looks awful. Its barely good enough for regional team, and it wont win many matches
 
Why is Saud Shakeel not considered for ODIs in middle order? He can be a solid middle order batsman in ODIs, instead of Haris Sohail who is a spent force
 
Abdullah Shafique shouldn't have been excluded for the T20Is. He's better than Shan Masood.

The decision to retain Shadab as VC is also a poor one. I'd take Saim Ayub over Imam or Shan in ODIs as well.

But the worst decision is the exclusion of Imad Wasim in ODIs. His lower order batting will be needed in India during the WC later this year.

Can't drop Imaam he has good stats even if we don't like it he deserves his place in the squad.
 
It's going to be difficult to choose T20 batting line up. We literally have 5 openers in the side. With RizBab being permanent openers, Saim and Haris need to prove themselves in middle order. Ideally I would love to see one of them opening with Rizwan and Babar @3.

I honestly think Babar or Rizwan will drop down to 3 but let's waite and see.
 
Iftikhar should had been in the team along with saud shakeel.

Has salman ali aghar performed in one day?

The team has too many openers and limited middle order. Ifti warrants a place

What batting position is Saud going to bat ?
 
My squad for t20s and odis

T20s
Saim Ayub
Rizwan
Babar
Muhammed Haris
Fakhar Zaman
Iftikhar Ahmed
Imad Wasim
Shadab
Shaheen afridi
Rauf
Ihsanullah

In odis
Imaam Ul Haq
Fakhar Zaman
Babar Azam
Abdullah Shafique
Haris Sohail
Rizwan
Shadab
Nawaz
Shaheen Afridi
Naseem Shah
Rauf/Ihsanullah

I will pick Abdullah instead of Agha Salman and Haris Sohail to bowl couple of overs.
 
I hope they don't continue with Rizwan at 4, he's out of place there. Shafique at 4 with Riz moving down the order.

Yes definitely Abdullah should bat at 4 you need proper batters in the top 4 and Abdullah is that.
 
I missed that earlier, just saw Harris Sohail is also in the team for ODI, unbelievable, why blame Azam Khan for lack of fitness if we taking this unfit and non-performing smoker in the team . He is old, unfit, smoker and never performed in recent days .
 
I will say this, they should have stuck with the same T20 squad from the Afghanistan. As for the ODI, bit surprised to see Shan Masood & Mohammad Wasim Jnr. Would have picked Saud Shakeel & Aamer Jamal, but other than that the team is fine.

ODI series leg will be very important for Pakistan. There are still holes left to plug in the team. Who will play No.6, which pacer will be the 3rd in the pace attack, what is Rizwan's spot, etc.

1. Fakhar Zaman
2. Imam-ul-Haq
3. Babar Azam (C)
4. Mohammad Rizwan (WK)
5. Haris Sohail
6. Agha Ali Salman
7. Shadab Khan
8. Mohammad Nawaz
9. Shaheen Shah Afridi
10. Haris Rauf
11. Naseem Shah/Ihsanullah
 
I missed that earlier, just saw Harris Sohail is also in the team for ODI, unbelievable, why blame Azam Khan for lack of fitness if we taking this unfit and non-performing smoker in the team . He is old, unfit, smoker and never performed in recent days .

But but but he is better than Babar. He can do everything Babar can but he has a better power game.
 
Odi probable line up

Imam
Fakhar
Babar
Shafique
Rizwan
Agha
Shadab
Nawaz/ Naseem
Shaheen
Haris
Ihsanullah

My line up but won’t see would be

Fakhar
Abdullah
Babar
Haris Sohail
Rizwan
Shadab
Nawaz
Shaheen
Waseem/Naseem/ Agha
Haris
Ihsanullah
 
The squad gets together for practice

FtH9C6ZXgAQQ24t.jpgFtH9C6lWIAE6eyS.jpgFtH9C6cXoAA3ky1.jpgFtH9C6aXwAA2R8v.jpg
 
I missed that earlier, just saw Harris Sohail is also in the team for ODI, unbelievable, why blame Azam Khan for lack of fitness if we taking this unfit and non-performing smoker in the team . He is old, unfit, smoker and never performed in recent days .

You're not wrong about Haris but there is still no comparison between Azam Khan and any other active cricketer in the world right now.

Haris Sohail might be a hot air balloon but Azam Khan is a full sized airship compared to him.
 
Why not just have one squad of 18 for white ball.

I think by having separate T20 and ODI squads we are only confusing ourselves.

ODI World Cup is round the corner which is the most important event in cricket. Just pick one damn squad and keep the players together.

If you wanna pick Haris Sohail, then ok pick him in T20s too. If Imam is your first choice as ODI opener, then keep in T20s too.

If M Haris & Saim Ayubs are your future, then keep them in ODIs too.

This nonsense needs to end.
 
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Why not just have one squad of 18 for white ball.

I think by having separate T20 and ODI squads we are only confusing ourselves.

ODI World Cup is round the corner which is the most important event in cricket. Just pick one damn squad and keep the players together.

If you wanna pick Haris Sohail, then ok pick him in T20s too. If Imam is your first choice as ODI opener, then keep in T20s too.

If M Haris & Saim Ayubs are your future, then keep them in ODIs too.

This nonsense needs to end.

I completely agree with this but don't ask for common sense from Pakistan cricket. It's very much an alien concept for them.
 
Why not just have one squad of 18 for white ball.

I think by having separate T20 and ODI squads we are only confusing ourselves.

ODI World Cup is round the corner which is the most important event in cricket. Just pick one damn squad and keep the players together.

If you wanna pick Haris Sohail, then ok pick him in T20s too. If Imam is your first choice as ODI opener, then keep in T20s too.

If M Haris & Saim Ayubs are your future, then keep them in ODIs too.

This nonsense needs to end.

As is the case with adding departmental teams, the idea is to give all players a chance to do something useful.

Keeps everyone happy.

Imagine the furore in the media if likes of Imad Wasim were not picked for the T20I series this year?
 
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Pakistan prep video from PCB

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Rizwan and agha will prove their doubters wrong in the 50 over format
 
Team for NZ and WC:

Imam
Fakhar
Babar
Harris
rizwan
agha ali
shadab khan
nawaz
shaheen
harris rauf
ihsanullah
 
Pakistan will badly miss 4th seamer in NZ as well as in WC in india.
 
NZ "missing" XI due to IPL and other reasons

Devon Conway
Finn Allen
Tim Seifert
Kane Williamson
Glenn Phillips
Mike Bracewell
Mitchell Santner
Kyle Jamieson
Trent Boult
Tim Southee
Lockie Ferguesen

Generally when a team misses 3-4 key players, its called B team.

What will you call this when almost entire first choice XI is missing.
 
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