LAHORE - Senior players including the trio of captain Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi returned as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced full-strength squads for home T20I and ODI series against New Zealand. 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 the 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 the Team of HBL PSL 2023. Apart from Shaheen, also returning to both the squads are Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf and Muhammad Rizwan. All these players had rested for last month’s threeT20I 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. RAWALPINDI TO HOST TWO ODIS AGAINST NEW ZEALAND The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday confirmed Rawalpindi, along with two T20Is and the first ODI, will also host the second ODI against New Zealand. The two ODIs will be played on 27 and 29 April instead of 26 and 30 April, respectively. Karachi, originally scheduled to hold four ODIs, will stage the last three ODIs.