Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Friday, announced the squads for the upcoming tours of South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The 35-member Pakistan contingent will first depart for Johannesburg on March 26 for the limited-overs series against South Africa. They will then board the flight to Bulawayo on April 17 for three T20Is and two Tests against Zimbabwe.
Babar Azam & Co. is scheduled to return home on May 12.
The selectors have recalled left-handed opener Sharjeel Khan to the T20I side after four years. Sharjeel scored 233 runs in the National T20 Cup in the 2020-21 season.
“Sharjeel Khan has staged a comeback in the T20I squad. Although he is exactly not where we want him to be, he is not too far away,” said chief selector Muhammad Wasim in an official statement.
“With the form he has recently shown in the domestic T20 events, he deserves an opportunity to further improve his fitness and show he still has that ability to win big matches for Pakistan.”
From the Test team that recently defeated the Proteas side, Yasir Shah and Kamran Ghulam have been replaced by Shahnawaz Dahani and Zahid Mahmood. Yasir is recuperating from a knee injury that he suffered during the Rawalpindi Test.
Shadab Khan and Mohammad Hafeez have also returned to the T20I side after missing the South Africa series at home.
“The South Africa and Zimbabwe tours are extremely important for Pakistan cricket. The seven T20Is are part of our preparation for this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, while the South Africa ODIs are part of the Super League as we aim to qualify directly for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023,” Wasim added.
Test squad:
Babar Azam, Imran Butt, Abid Ali, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Tabish Khan, Hasan Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani, Nauman Ali, Zahid Mehmood, Sajid Khan
T20I squad:
Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Haider Ali, Danish Aziz, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mohamamad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Hasan Ali, Arshad Iqbal, Usman Qadir
ODI squad:
Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Haider, Danish Aziz, Saud Shakil, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shadab Khan, Mohammad, Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Hasan Ali, Usman Qadir.
