Islamabad, Pakistan

Amid the ongoing captaincy saga in Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday (Apr 9) announced the 17-member squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. 

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The entire series will be played in Rawalpindi and Lahore between April 18 and 27, a few weeks before the T20 World Cup kicks off in the USA and West Indies.   

Fast bowler Mohammad Amir and left-arm spinner Imad Wasim have been recalled to the squad after ending their disagreements with the board. Amir last represented Pakistan in international cricket in 2020 before opting to retire and focus on T20 leagues while Wasim announced his retirement in November 2023. 

Apart from the two, PCB have also included uncapped middle-order batter Muhammad Irfan Khan and opener Usman Khan in the squad, saying they both earned the nod from selectors following their impressive performances in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL)

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“We hold great optimism and belief in their potential to become key impact players, yet recognise that this requires ongoing dedication and effort," said selection committee member and batting coach Mohammad Yusuf. 

"I trust that both players will continue their upward trajectory, sparing no effort in proving themselves worthy of the selectors' and captain's trust and confidence," he added. 

Also read | 'Don't test my patience': Shaheen Afridi shares cryptic Insta Story amid ongoing Pakistan captaincy saga

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Pakistan's captaincy woes

The T20I series against New Zealand will be the first time that Babar Azam takes the field with the captain's armband after being removed from the post, following the disastrous World Cup campaign in India. Babar's captaincy attracted widespread criticism as he failed to galvanise his troops to put up strong performances. 

However, a little more than four months later, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed Babar was replacing Shaheen Afridi as the T20I captain. 

The decision was set in motion after Pakistan lost the T20I series 1-4 to New Zealand away and fast-tracked following Afridi's poor handling of his PSL team which won only one out of the 10 matches. 

The decision though, may not have gone down well with Afridi who recently posted an Instagram story seemingly taking a swipe at the PCB and other high-ranking officials who sabotaged his captaincy tenure. 

Squad:

Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Zaman Khan.