Pakistan on Monday opted to relaxation senior gamers Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir and Sarfaraz Ahmed for his or her restricted over sequence at residence towards decrease ranked Zimbabwe beginning later this month.
Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq mentioned it was a “strategic choice” to permit youthful gamers an opportunity to characteristic in upcoming matches.
Rookie batsman Abdullah Shafiq, who turns 21 subsequent month, has earned a maiden call-up after scoring 358 runs with 100 in ten matches within the Nationwide Twenty20 which concluded on Sunday. Nineteen-year-old wicketkeeper batsman Rohail Nazir who’s a former Pakistan’s Beneath-19 crew skipper additionally earned a name.
Shafiq was rewarded for his sturdy displaying for Central Punjab within the recently-concluded Nationwide T20 Cup. The highest order batsman from Sialkot completed because the seventh most profitable batsman within the Nationwide T20 Cup with 358 runs with a strike-rate of over 133. He scored a century on his T20 debut, turning into solely the second participant in historical past to make a century on each first-class and T20 debuts.
“Abdullah Shafiq has been rewarded for his large potential and efficiency. He has been recognized as a future prospect and, due to this fact, drafted into the squad as a part of his improvement,” Pakistan head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq mentioned in a press release.
Shafiq was included rather than Malik, whereas Rohail Nazir was named as Mohammad Rizwan’’s back-up wicketkeeper.
Babar Azam will lead the crew in each ODIs and Twenty20 internationals.
Sarfaraz, who was neglected for nearly complete England tour regardless of being a part of the squad, has been inspired to characteristic within the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, beginning October 25, to rediscover higher type forward of the New Zealand tour.
The 2 sides will play three One-day Internationals and three Twenty20 video games, with the 22-man squad additionally permitting for brand spanking new gamers to check out within the shortest format.
“We try some new gamers in Twenty20s however not within the ODIs as a result of they lead in the direction of automated qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and are extra necessary,” Misbah mentioned in a press convention in Lahore.
The ODIs – beginning in Rawalpindi on October 30 – are a part of the ODI League from the place the highest seven out of 13 groups will qualify for the 2023 World Cup to be hosted by India.
Zimbabwe, who rank as little as 14 in ODIs and 11 in Twenty20s, arrive in Islamabad on Tuesday and quarantine for per week earlier than they begin practising.
The remaining one-day matches may even be performed in Rawalpindi on November 1 and three. The three Twenty20 internationals are in Lahore on November 7, 8 and 10.
Squad
Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Shafiq, Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan, Rohail Nazir, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir, Zafar Gohar, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Musa Khan, Shaheen Shah, Wahab Riaz.
With AFP and PTI Inputs
