Captain Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam were dropped from Pakistan's squad for the upcoming five-match T20 series in New Zealand, announced on Tuesday (March 4). Salman Ali Agha has been appointed as the new T20 captain, with all-rounder Shadab Khan making a return to the squad as vice captain.

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Rizwan, however, retains his leadership role in the ODI squad despite Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the Champions Trophy. The selectors have refrained from making wholesale changes to the ODI squad, retaining most players despite their struggles in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

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Babar Azam remains in the ODI squad, but batters Saud Shakil and Kamran Ghulam have been dropped. Additionally, fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf have been sidelined from the ODI setup.

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Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand, beginning March 16, includes five T20Is and three ODIs. However, the team will be without opener Saim Ayub, who is still recovering from an ankle injury. Fakhar Zaman has also been ruled out after sustaining an injury during the first match of the Champions Trophy. Fakhar had only recently returned to the national squad in a three-nation tournament, while Saim suffered his injury while fielding in the Test series against South Africa earlier this year.

Pakistan squads for New Zealand tour:

ODI squad:
Muhammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Wasim Jr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sufyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir.

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T20 squad:
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Muhammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Haris, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.