LAHORE: Experienced batter Babar Azam, speedster Naseem Shah and wicket-keeper/batter Usman Khan were recalled to T20 International duty whereas veteran opener Fakhar Zaman was kept among the reserves, and pacer Haris Rauf returned to the ODI team as Pakistan selectors on Thursday announced national white-ball squads for a number of contests at home during October-November.

Pakistan face South Africa in a three-match T20 series starting on Oct 28 followed by a three-game ODI rubber against the same country. The T20s will be held in Rawalpindi and Lahore while the Nov 4-8 ODI series will be staged in Faisalabad.

The Green-shirts then host Sri Lanka for a three-match ODI series from Nov 11 to 15 in Rawalpindi. From Nov 17 to 29, Pakistan will be competing with Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in a T20 tri-series the games of which will be held in Rawalpindi and Lahore.

Interestingly, sources told Dawn, Babar was inducted into the team so that the right-hander could hold the innings together in case of a batting collapse.

A veteran of 128 T20 Internationals, Babar last represented Pakistan in a T20 against South Africa at Centurion in December last year.

The 31-year-old, who is returning to T20I duty for the first time since white-ball head coach Mike Hesson took charge in May, will have a major role to play if Salman Ali Agha-led team are to return to winning ways after losing the Asia Cup final to arch-rivals India in last month. Under Salman, who was given the T20 reins late last year, Pakistan have played 30 matches winning 17 while losing the rest.

The 22-year-old Naseem, who played his last T20I in November last year against Australia in Sydney, retained his place in the ODI team. In 30 ODIs and as many T20Is, the pacer has claimed 55 and 30 wickets, respectively.

Fakhar, who was part of Pakistan’s T20 Asia Cup campaign, along with Haris Rauf and slow left-arm orthodox spinner Sufiyan Moqim are in the T20 reserves list.

Usman, who was banned by the Emirates Cricket Board last year for breaching their contract obligations, replaced underperforming Mohammad Haris in the 15-member T20 squad. The top-order batter who keeps wickets occasionally, last played a T20 International against New Zealand in Wellington in March this year. Top-order batter Abdul Samad and uncapped off-spinner Usman Tariq are also part of the T20 party.

Young left-arm wrist spinner Faisal Akram and wicket-keeper/batter Haseebullah returned to the ODI side.

The 22-year-old Naseem, who played his last T20I in November last year against Australia in Sydney, retained his place in the ODI team. In 30 ODIs and as many T20Is, the pacer has claimed 55 and 30 wickets, respectively.

Samad, 27, with five T20Is under his belt in which he scored just 66 runs, has been recalled by national selectors after nine months.

Uncapped off-spinner Usman played 10 matches in this year’s Pakistan Super League getting 12 wickets and 20 wickets in 10 matches he played in the Caribbean Premier League.

Squads:

T20: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicket-keeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicket-keeper), Usman Tariq

Reserves: Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Moqim

ODI: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2025