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LAHORE: Veteran players Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi were dropped as Pakistan selectors on Wednesday named a new-look national squad for a three-match T20 International home series against Bangladesh.
The 16-member squad, which was picked for the series starting on May 28 at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, does not contain a number of key performers of the current HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL). The series opener will be followed by games on May 30 and June 1.
Interestingly, the PCB announced the squad in a press release issued early morning on Wednesday, while claiming that it was selected on the basis of the players’ performances in the ongoing PSL.
Though Multan Sultans’ skipper Rizwan (367) and Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar (288) are among the top 10 batters of the ongoing PSL, they failed to steer their teams to the playoffs stage. Lahore Qalandars’ skipper Shaheen, who managed to take only 11 wickets in 10 games of the present PSL, was part of the national T20 squad that was routed 4-1 in New Zealand earlier this year.
Opener Sahibzada Farhan, the top run-getter of the current PSL with 394 runs for Islamabad United, earned a recall while his United team-mate Faheem Ashraf (14 wickets) also returned to national T20 duty after more than two years.
Dashing opener Fakhar Zaman (369 runs in PSL) got his place on merit. Also in the list is Hasan Nawaz, who with a couple of match-winning performances has scored 317 in the PSL.
Pacers Abbas Afridi of Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators’ Khurram Shahzad, who despite giving impressive performance in the PSL were overlooked for the Bangladesh series.
Abbas is currently PSL’s top wicket-taker with 17 scalps at an average of 20.64 while Khurram (12 wickets) averaged 15.66.
Surprisingly, fast bowlers Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim Junior, despite remaining expensive in the PSL were picked for national duty.
Pacer Hasan Ali returned to the national team after grabbing 15 wickets in the PSL at an average of 20.73.
Experienced Shadab was retained as deputy of Salman Ali Agha, as the all-rounder picked up 14 wickets in nine matches of the ongoing edition of PSL.
Batters Usman Khan, Abdul Samad and spinner Sufyan Muqeem — who were part of Pakistan’s T20 party in New Zealand this year — could not impress the national selectors.
The Bangladesh series will be the first assignment of New Zealand’s Mike Hesson who was named the white-ball head coach by the PCB earlier this month.
Squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmad, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Wasim Junior, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicket-keeper), Saim Ayub.
Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2025
