[VIDEOS/PICTURES] Pakistan announce squad for T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah

[Firebat]

Shadab to captain Pakistan against Afghanistan in Sharjah

• Selectors rest Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi keeping their workloads and future series in mind

• Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Khushdil Shah dropped

• Four uncapped players, namely Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir and Zaman Khan named in 15-player squad

• Azam Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim recalled for the three-match series

Lahore, 13 March 2023:

With one eye on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and the other on ensuring the careers of their elite cricketers are extended by strategically managing their workloads, the Pakistan cricket selectors today named a new-look and highly-talented 15-player squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, which will be played from 24 to 27 March in Sharjah.

All-rounder Shadab Khan will captain the side that includes four uncapped players, namely, Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir and Zaman Khan, while Azam Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim have been recalled.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam, along with Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi have been rested, while Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Khushdil Shah have been dropped. These nine players were part of the Pakistan squad that reached the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

Apart from the Shadab, players retained from the last T20I series are: Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Naseem Shah and Shan Masood.

Pakistan squad

1. Shadab Khan (captain) (Islamabad United)
2. Abdullah Shafique (Lahore Qalandars)
3. Azam Khan (Islamabad United)
4. Faheem Ashraf (Islamabad United)
5. Iftikhar Ahmed (Quetta Gladiators)
6. Ihsanullah (Multan Sultans)
7. Imad Wasim (Karachi Kings)
8. Mohammad Haris (Peshawar Zalmi)
9. Mohammad Nawaz (Quetta Gladiators)
10. Mohammad Wasim Junior (Islamabad United)
11. Naseem Shah (Quetta Gladiators)
12. Saim Ayub (Peshawar Zalmi)
13. Shan Masood (Multan Sultans)
14. Tayyab Tahir (Karachi Kings)
15. Zaman Khan (Lahore Qalandars)

Reserve players – Abrar Ahmed (Islamabad United), Haseebullah (Peshawar Zalmi) and Usama Mir (Multan Sultans)

Chair of PCB Management Committee, Najam Sethi:

“I want to congratulate Shadab Khan on his appointment as the Pakistan team captain for the series against Afghanistan. Shadab Khan has been the Pakistan vice-captain in white-ball cricket for the past couple of years and it is logical that he takes over the side in the absence of Babar Azam for the short three-match T20I tour of Sharjah.

“For the short Sharjah tour and to ensure continuity, we have also appointed Mohammad Yousuf as the interim head and batting coach. Yousuf has been with the national side since last year as a batting coach and has also been working in the National High Performance Centre.”

Chair of the selection committee, Haroon Rashid:

“For the short three-T20I series against Afghanistan, the selection committee has followed the standard rotation policy by resting the leading performers and providing high-performing domestic performers with opportunities to demonstrate their talent and potential at the international level. This will also allow us to test the temperament and abilities of these players and helping us to strengthen our pool of players as we look forward to building and preparing a formidable side for next year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States.

“However, and in doing so, we have ensured that we select a side that is equally strong and capable of winning the series against a strong Afghanistan side for whom Sharjah is like a second home. And to achieve that, we have retained seven players from the last series, recalled four experienced cricketers and clubbed them with four uncapped players to make the 15-member side a truly mixture of youth and experience.

“In this background, I want to congratulate Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir and Zaman Khan who have broken into the national side after a series of strong performances in the domestic circuit as well as the HBL PSL 8. Azam Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim have been recalled after they too demonstrated in the HBL PSL 8 that they are capable of exceling in the shortest format and also providing experience and stability in the side.

“Babar, Fakhar, Haris, Rizwan and Shaheen have been provided breaks from the short Sharjah trip to allow them to switch-off from competitive cricket so that they can complete their rehabilitations, regroup, recompose and recharge their batteries and be fully fit for the challenges in the tough and challenging 2023-24 season.”

About the uncapped and recalled players:

In the HBL PSL 8, Azam has scored 280 runs in nine match at a strike-rate of almost 163, Saim Ayub has scored 309 runs in 10 matches at a strike-rate of 167, Tayyab Tahir has scored 137 runs in five matches at a strike-rate of 144 after aggregating 413 runs in 11 National T20 matches at a strike-rate of 138, whereas Ihsanullah has picked up 20 wickets in 10 matches at an economy-rate of 7.36 and Zaman Khan has claimed 12 wickets in 10 matches at an economy-rate of 8.68.

Abdullah Shafique has scored 193 runs in seven HBL PSL 8 matches at a strike-rate of 144, Faheem Ashraf has scored 210 runs and taken seven wickets, while Imad has scored 404 runs (strike-rate of 170) and taken nine wickets (economy-rate of 7.93).

Player workload management:

In the past 15 months, Babar and Rizwan have practically been on the road, while Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi have battled injuries.

Babar has played 10 Tests, 12 ODIs, 26 T20Is and 19 HBL PSL matches, while Rizwan has featured in eight Tests, 11 ODIs, 25 T20Is and 22 HBL PSL matches besides a few matches in the Bangladesh Premier Lague. Haris Rauf has appeared in one Test, 10 ODIs, 23 T20Is and 23 HBL PSL matches.

Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi have demonstrated excellent recoveries from the knee injuries by playing in 10 and nine HBL PSL 8 matches, respectively. However, both star players need more time to complete their rehabilitations to regain complete match fitness. Fakhar suffered knees injuries prior and during the T20 World Cup, while Shaheen was sidelined for three months in July after picking up a knee injury in the first Galle Test. Although Shaheen returned for the T20 World Cup, he missed the home series against England and New Zealand in December 2022 and January 2023.

Pakistan is scheduled to feature in eight ODIs in a lead up to the 50-over Asia Cup 2023 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, will play in seven ICC World Test Championship matches and appear in 25 T20Is in the build up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 over the next 15 months.

Schedule

1st T20I: March 24, Sharjah

2nd T20I: March 26, Sharjah

3rd T20I: March 27, Sharjah

[Rana]

Alhamdolillah

Alhamdolillah

Alhamdolillah

[Asif321]

Ifti? Shan? Are you kidding me

[reversehook]

ifti shan etc better not get a single game

[DeadlyVenom]

Squad of 15:

Shadab Khan (c),
Abdullah Shafique,
Azam Khan,
Faheem Ashraf,
Iftikhar Ahmed,
Ihsanullah,
Imad Wasim,
Mohammad Haris,
Mohammad Nawaz,
Mohammad Wasim Jr,
Naseem Shah,
Saim Ayub,
Shan Masood,
Tayyab Tahir,
Zaman Khan

Reserves: Abrar Ahmed, Haseebullah Khan, Usama Mir

Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen, Fakhar, Haris Rauf have all been "rested".

Schedule

1st T20I: March 24, Sharjah

2nd T20I: March 26, Sharjah

3rd T20I: March 27, Sharjah

Seems a decent squad.

Surprised at the inclusion of Ifti - even though I like the guy he had a shocker in the PSL.

Shan Masood should also have been rested.

Im pleased to see Zaman in the squad too!

[Sher Khan]

I love this squad. Good to see some fresh, energetic faces. Shan is questionable but he did okay in the WT20.

[Rana]

Well done PCB for showing courage!

Love you Sethi sab. Love you Shakeel sab

[Firebat]

Najam Sethi was very explicitly stressing this is a series to test new youngsters, but maintained that Babar remains captain of Pakistan.

[Master Blaster]

Couple of stats padders forcefully rested ?? Wonderful opportunity lost against a weak team...

Nice to see a new fresh team...
Who is vice kaptaan?

[Rana]

Chacha’s 30 ball 50 loading

Nawaz’s lockdown 4 over spell loading!!

[reversehook]

the others should rest, shan parchi should be given the opportunity to boil all the eggs from his recent intrntnl and psl stints... 🤭

[Rana]

Najam Sethi was very explicitly stressing this is a series to test new youngsters, but maintained that Babar remains captain of Pakistan.

He also said it’s up to Babar to tell him himself that he wants to be the captain of one or two formats

That’s pretty much telling him to do the right thing and step down

[reversehook]

He also said it’s up to Babar to tell him himself that he wants to be the captain of one or two formats

That’s pretty much telling him to do the right thing and step down

Let him kuptain 1 side peacefully, ZALMI...

[Babeikh]

Looks a good squad but a completely and utterly pointless series thanks to the Sethi incompetence of rejecting ODIs

[Farah Sohail]

Naseem Shah who didnt play last quetta match due to a knee injury and should have been properly rested for full recovery..is included in this team.. what a joke!!

[SamNJ]

He also said it’s up to Babar to tell him himself that he wants to be the captain of one or two formats

That’s pretty much telling him to do the right thing and step down

Heard they also said in PC that Sethi and selectors recieved calls from politicians to not rest some players.
PCB is trying to cut down the player power to size.

[Kroll]

Corrupt selections with Iftikhar and Shan, Naseem should also have been rested. Good to see the top order changed.

[BunnyRabbit]

Like I had said Shan would be selected even though the narrative is about resting the seniors.

[AAli98]

Ayub & Haris won’t last very long v Afghan spinners in Sharjah at least Baba & Rizwan got you to a respectable 130 !!

[RedwoodOriginal]

I like this squad. Lots of exciting picks. But I just hope that we don't get embarrassed by Afghanistan. Which is a very likely possibility.

[proud_pakistani]

Shan and Ifti are horrible selections considering we are trying to test the bench. Shan has no place in T20i cricket.

Tayyab Tahir is a poor selection as he seems quite undercooked right now for international selection.

Besides that its not a bad squad. Could have been slightly better.

[Major]

Shadab Khan captain, thats good

[zaidihusain]

Good squad but Shan & Iftikhar should have been dropped permanently. Fakhar & may be Sohaib Maqsood should have been included in the team. All other TTFs like Khushdil, Asif, Haider have already got plenty of opportunities in last 2 years and rightly dropped.

[Barragan]

Don't agree with the selection of Abdullah shafique, Shan Masood, Wasim jnr and Tayyab Tahir.


Huge lack of power hitting batsmen aside from Azam Khan.

[ads101]

It was a good squad but very disappointed that Fakhar is rested. He needs to cement his spot, this series might have been a good time to do it, and he could have opened too. Though if it’s due to injuries fair enough, it does say he needs more time to rehabilitate.

Don’t have a problem with iftikhar or Masood. There are very few middle order options or standouts in the PSL in the middle order. And they both did alright at the World Cup. And you probably need some experience there, a chance for them to take responsibility, given the rest of the batting line up is very young/all rounders.

[zarak]

Don't agree with the selection of Abdullah shafique, Shan Masood, Wasim jnr and Tayyab Tahir.


Huge lack of power hitting batsmen aside from Azam Khan.

Imad
Ifti
Azam
Haris

[Extra_Cover]

A lot of good things in there. Well done PCB. Its important we get our priorities right and ensure the correct players are playing the correct games. At this stage when ODI world cup is looming ahead T20 cricket should be used as a place where bench strength can be assessed.

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Shan/Azam/Imad are parchi selections. Haseebullah is not a T20 player. Rest of the squad is good with deserving people like Ayub and Ihsanullah given chances.
Afghanistan though cannot be taken lightly and lack of experience in Pakistan team top order can be utilised by Afghan spinners. It will be a cracking series to watch.

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Since January 2021, Rizwan has played 150 matches across formats (international and domestic cricket) - the most after Rashid Khan's 157 - while Babar has played 127 and Rauf 125.

It made sense to rest them. But in Pakistan, the journalists have their agendas and they just make sensationalist stories and politicise things needlessly.

[proud_pakistani]

Shan/Azam/Imad are parchi selections. Haseebullah is not a T20 player. Rest of the squad is good with deserving people like Ayub and Ihsanullah given chances.
Afghanistan though cannot be taken lightly and lack of experience in Pakistan team top order can be utilised by Afghan spinners. It will be a cracking series to watch.

Disagree about Imad. He has the highest contribution so far this PSL and is probably a contender for man of the series. To ignore him would be completely against recognizing the performance in PSL. Same for Azam. He is a class player and someone we lack in the middle order. Agreed for Shan.

[Farah Sohail]

@Saj can u please ask Naseem shah or someone in PCB whats the status of his injury? We were told in last quetta match he has a knee injury due to which hes not playing.. so how come hes fit for the series? Shaheen also had knee injury and it took lot of time for him to recover.. so whats the situation with Naseem.. hope his case is also not mishandled again..?

[PakHammer]

I can see the first 11 being something like this for the first game:

1) Shaan
2) M. Haris
3) Abdullah
4) Ifti
5) Shadab
6) Azam (wk)
7) Imad
8) Nawaz
9) M. Wasim
10) Naseem
11) Insanullah

I can't see too many debutantes in the first match like Sami, Zaman & Tahir.

[moghul]

Shadab to captain Pakistan against Afghanistan in Sharjah

• Selectors rest Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi keeping their workloads and future series in mind

• Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Khushdil Shah dropped

• Four uncapped players, namely Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir and Zaman Khan named in 15-player squad

• Azam Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim recalled for the three-match series

Lahore, 13 March 2023:

With one eye on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and the other on ensuring the careers of their elite cricketers are extended by strategically managing their workloads, the Pakistan cricket selectors today named a new-look and highly-talented 15-player squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, which will be played from 24 to 27 March in Sharjah.

All-rounder Shadab Khan will captain the side that includes four uncapped players, namely, Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir and Zaman Khan, while Azam Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim have been recalled.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam, along with Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi have been rested, while Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Khushdil Shah have been dropped. These nine players were part of the Pakistan squad that reached the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

Apart from the Shadab, players retained from the last T20I series are: Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Naseem Shah and Shan Masood.

Pakistan squad

1. Shadab Khan (captain) (Islamabad United)
2. Abdullah Shafique (Lahore Qalandars)
3. Azam Khan (Islamabad United)
4. Faheem Ashraf (Islamabad United)
5. Iftikhar Ahmed (Quetta Gladiators)
6. Ihsanullah (Multan Sultans)
7. Imad Wasim (Karachi Kings)
8. Mohammad Haris (Peshawar Zalmi)
9. Mohammad Nawaz (Quetta Gladiators)
10. Mohammad Wasim Junior (Islamabad United)
11. Naseem Shah (Quetta Gladiators)
12. Saim Ayub (Peshawar Zalmi)
13. Shan Masood (Multan Sultans)
14. Tayyab Tahir (Karachi Kings)
15. Zaman Khan (Lahore Qalandars)

Reserve players – Abrar Ahmed (Islamabad United), Haseebullah (Peshawar Zalmi) and Usama Mir (Multan Sultans)

Chair of PCB Management Committee, Najam Sethi:

“I want to congratulate Shadab Khan on his appointment as the Pakistan team captain for the series against Afghanistan. Shadab Khan has been the Pakistan vice-captain in white-ball cricket for the past couple of years and it is logical that he takes over the side in the absence of Babar Azam for the short three-match T20I tour of Sharjah.

“For the short Sharjah tour and to ensure continuity, we have also appointed Mohammad Yousuf as the interim head and batting coach. Yousuf has been with the national side since last year as a batting coach and has also been working in the National High Performance Centre.”

Chair of the selection committee, Haroon Rashid:

“For the short three-T20I series against Afghanistan, the selection committee has followed the standard rotation policy by resting the leading performers and providing high-performing domestic performers with opportunities to demonstrate their talent and potential at the international level. This will also allow us to test the temperament and abilities of these players and helping us to strengthen our pool of players as we look forward to building and preparing a formidable side for next year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States.

“However, and in doing so, we have ensured that we select a side that is equally strong and capable of winning the series against a strong Afghanistan side for whom Sharjah is like a second home. And to achieve that, we have retained seven players from the last series, recalled four experienced cricketers and clubbed them with four uncapped players to make the 15-member side a truly mixture of youth and experience.

“In this background, I want to congratulate Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir and Zaman Khan who have broken into the national side after a series of strong performances in the domestic circuit as well as the HBL PSL 8. Azam Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim have been recalled after they too demonstrated in the HBL PSL 8 that they are capable of exceling in the shortest format and also providing experience and stability in the side.

“Babar, Fakhar, Haris, Rizwan and Shaheen have been provided breaks from the short Sharjah trip to allow them to switch-off from competitive cricket so that they can complete their rehabilitations, regroup, recompose and recharge their batteries and be fully fit for the challenges in the tough and challenging 2023-24 season.”

About the uncapped and recalled players:

In the HBL PSL 8, Azam has scored 280 runs in nine match at a strike-rate of almost 163, Saim Ayub has scored 309 runs in 10 matches at a strike-rate of 167, Tayyab Tahir has scored 137 runs in five matches at a strike-rate of 144 after aggregating 413 runs in 11 National T20 matches at a strike-rate of 138, whereas Ihsanullah has picked up 20 wickets in 10 matches at an economy-rate of 7.36 and Zaman Khan has claimed 12 wickets in 10 matches at an economy-rate of 8.68.

Abdullah Shafique has scored 193 runs in seven HBL PSL 8 matches at a strike-rate of 144, Faheem Ashraf has scored 210 runs and taken seven wickets, while Imad has scored 404 runs (strike-rate of 170) and taken nine wickets (economy-rate of 7.93).

Player workload management:

In the past 15 months, Babar and Rizwan have practically been on the road, while Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi have battled injuries.

Babar has played 10 Tests, 12 ODIs, 26 T20Is and 19 HBL PSL matches, while Rizwan has featured in eight Tests, 11 ODIs, 25 T20Is and 22 HBL PSL matches besides a few matches in the Bangladesh Premier Lague. Haris Rauf has appeared in one Test, 10 ODIs, 23 T20Is and 23 HBL PSL matches.

Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi have demonstrated excellent recoveries from the knee injuries by playing in 10 and nine HBL PSL 8 matches, respectively. However, both star players need more time to complete their rehabilitations to regain complete match fitness. Fakhar suffered knees injuries prior and during the T20 World Cup, while Shaheen was sidelined for three months in July after picking up a knee injury in the first Galle Test. Although Shaheen returned for the T20 World Cup, he missed the home series against England and New Zealand in December 2022 and January 2023.

Pakistan is scheduled to feature in eight ODIs in a lead up to the 50-over Asia Cup 2023 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, will play in seven ICC World Test Championship matches and appear in 25 T20Is in the build up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 over the next 15 months.

Schedule

1st T20I: March 24, Sharjah

2nd T20I: March 26, Sharjah

3rd T20I: March 27, Sharjah

Chacha, Faheem and Shaan ???? Unbelievable , ridiculous .

[ammar_merry]

I can see the first 11 being something like this for the first game:

1) Shaan
2) M. Haris
3) Abdullah
4) Ifti
5) Shadab
6) Azam (wk)
7) Imad
8) Nawaz
9) M. Wasim
10) Naseem
11) Insanullah

I can't see too many debutantes in the first match like Sami, Zaman & Tahir.

Saim should play instead of Shan.

[adi_62941]

good squad

[PakHammer]

Saim should play instead of Shan.

I agree but don't believe the Pakistan think tank will be that bold to include Saim in a opening match of a series.

[Fenrir]

Shaan,Chacha and Faheem are poor selections.Should have gone for new players.Abbas Afridi,Usama Mir and Akhlaq should have been in the team.

[JibranAnsari]

God! What does shan have? Any blackmailing material?

[Barragan]

Imad
Ifti
Azam
Haris

I already mentioned Azam.

Haris is an opener, Imad is more of a no. 7 and Ifti has hardly shown any signs of succeeding at intl. level and he isn't a power hitter either.

Huge lack of power hitting in the middle order (outside of Azam).

[Rana]

God! What does shan have? Any blackmailing material?

Lol screenshots of Sethi Sab’s Snapchat

[Slim]

The only problem i have with this squad is Shan Masood. How strong is this guy’s parchi? Also, something definitely happened behind the scenes that they put shady as captain instead of shaheen. Shocked to see people calling ifti’s selection as parchi when hes one of the most deserving to get selected. Absolute clown opinions from some of the posters.

[Champ_Pal]

Poor Azam Khan and Abbas Afridi.

Azam khan must be very very disappointed.

[ammar_merry]

Poor Azam Khan and Abbas Afridi.

Azam khan must be very very disappointed.

Why Azam should be disappointed?

[jattafridi]

Good luck Saim Ayub

[JibranAnsari]

Good squad but at the same time i am expecting afghans to win the series this time.

[Champ_Pal]

Why Azam should be disappointed?

Did not notice that he was in the squad. Good selection by PCB.

[JibranAnsari]

Saim ayub
Haris
Abdullah
Tayyab
Iftikhar
Azam
Shadab
Imad
Naseem
Zaman
Ihsanullah

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

One thing that this announcement is going to do is hopefully light a fire in Babar and Rizzy to start evolving their respective games, for t20 purposes.

I think, we saw in Babar’s innings of 70 odd Vs Multan, how he can actually bat at another gear. Hopefully he evolves his game, does the gym work necessary to increase his bat speed, to become a more effective t20 player.

Same w/ Rizzy. Time now to truly reconfigure his off side game against good length bowling.

[Concerned]

Note to Shadab, please do not consider batting in the top 5.

[as-95]

Will be very disappointed if Shan gets a game. Openers need to be Saim and Haris/Shafique.

Tayyab and Azam middle order.

Lower order I’d have Ifti, Imad, Shadab.

Saim
Abdullah
Haris
Tayyab
Azam wk
Ifti
Imad
Shadab (c)
Wasim
Ihsanullah
Naseem (if fit) or Zaman

Nice tail with batting qualities despite the unreliable and youthful top order…

[YousafTheBeast]

Just give Masood all the games, it’s the only way to get rid of him. He’ll be picked for every tour/series and all the major events if he remains on the bench.

He’s been dropped by MS, but good enough for Pakistan.

I would’ve been happy with the squad had Haseebullah been in the main squad over Shan Masood.

Shan Masood
Saim Ayub
Mohammad Haris
Tayyab Tahir
Ifthikar Ahmed
Azam Khan
Imad Wasim
Shadab Khan
Ihsanullah
Naseem Shah
Zaman Khan

[Cric1234]

Abdullah struggled whenever he batted second in the PSL getting bogged down even on the flat wickets at Pindi he will have to improve on that to make it in international T20s.

Shan and Iftikhar couldn’t even perform in the PSL yet get a easy pass into the national team looks like we could see a team like this in the future:

Babar
Rizwan
Abdullah
Shan
Iftikhar

[Omer2002]

Don't agree with the selection of Abdullah shafique, Shan Masood, Wasim jnr and Tayyab Tahir.


Huge lack of power hitting batsmen aside from Azam Khan.

Absolutely same here...above 4 how have they made the squad..where are power hitters

[VForVendetta]

Even when PCB shows guts & progression by resting/dropping underperforming/injury prone seniors they somehow screw it by selecting Shan Masood! WTH does Shan do in a t20 squad in 2023? Not sure what Tahir did to get a call up, he doesn't give the vibe of a confident white ball batter. But still this is not a negative overall. Should have been done a long time ago. Saim,Ihsan & Azam should be allowed to play the entire series & Shan needs to be benched.

[Bilal7]

Iftikhar and Shan should only be there for their experience. It would be hilarious if after such a refreshing squad we don't get to see many of them play.

1) Saim
2) Abdullah
3) Haris (wk)
4) Tayyab
5) Azam
6) Imad
7) Shadab (c)
8) Nawaz
9) Naseem
10) Wasim
11) Ihsanullah

Imad, Saim, Ihsanullah and Shadab himself should have the biggest spotlights on their performances.

[Colorblind Genius]

Let’s see how PSL has helped prepared truly good batsmen who can score 240+ in the international arena - even against a weaker team.

[shah9425]

Good squad hopefully we win this series

[Maher96]

Rashid, Gurbaz, Zazai, Farooqi, Naveen, Najib, Nabi all going to be tough.

Hopefully they play players in their right squads,

Haris
Saim
Shan
Tayyab
Ifit
Azam
Shadab
Imad
Faheem
Ihsanullah
Zaman

[Energy]

Wasim Jr selection is poor. Abbas Afridi should have been selected. Shan is a poor selection as well.

Usama Mir over Nawaz too.

Rest looks good.

[Maliq_Mudasir]

Good squad barring Shan and Faheem.

Expecting this to be playing 11 for first match:

Abdullah
Haris
Ayub
Tahir
Ifti
Azam
Imad
Shadab
Wasim jr/Nawaz
Naseem
Ihsan

[Rana]

Finally

Finally I can support Pakistan sincerely once again

[Kianig89]

Shan Masood WasimJr in , ridiculous also bowling is weak

[ammar_merry]

Finally

Finally I can support Pakistan sincerely once again

I hope people here will support youngsters even of they lose a match or two in this series.Same will be calling for their heads.

[jattafridi]

I support so many different teams but real happiness when my Pakistan win

[jattafridi]

Maybe Pakistan lose this series but very brave decision from pcb

[Rana]

I hope this team is carried on to the 5 T20i against NZ too

They should all get 8 games to show us what they are all about instead of 3 and then RizBar, Shaheen, Fakhar and Rauf come back

[shariqnoor]

Let’s see how PSL has helped prepared truly good batsmen who can score 240+ in the international arena - even against a weaker team.

They will be playing in Sharjah I think, which makes even 150 a good target on those pitches. So all these players who were tonking at Pindi will have their techniques thoroughly tested by the Afghan spinners and a quality pacer in Fazalhaq Farooqui. I think in one of the matches, Pakistan might fold for below or just about 100.

[Rana]

They will be playing in Sharjah I think, which makes even 150 a good target on those pitches. So all these players who were tonking at Pindi will have their techniques thoroughly tested by the Afghan spinners and a quality pacer in Fazalhaq Farooqui. I think in one of the matches, Pakistan might fold for below or just about 100.

Oh yar calm down.

It’s Afghanistan, not 2004 Australia mens side. The Afghan players will be tested by Ihsanullah and Pakistan’s 3 spinners too. The only key player we are missing is Shaheen. That’s it

[moghul]

Maybe Pakistan lose this series but very brave decision from pcb

Really brave decison to included Chacha, Faheem and Shaan .

[PakEngFan]

Really brave decison to included Chacha, Faheem and Shaan .

If they are going to include waseem jnr the so called all rounder then everyone’s deserves to be selected.

[Third Man]

Let’s see how PSL has helped prepared truly good batsmen who can score 240+ in the international arena - even against a weaker team.

If it spins as it sometimes does in Sharjah, then forget about 240, we'd be lucky if we get 140.

[jattafridi]

Atleast pcb giving young players chance

Shan should not play t20 😡

[jattafridi]

Pakistan don’t have players like Shubman gill and Harry brook

So whatever young players we have we should support them

India England Australia they all have much better talent than Pakistan

[Saj]

Some very strange selections - people with zero performance at PSL 8 yet they have been picked.

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

Overall a good squad to test the bench strength. I would of preferred Hussain Talat over Shan as he offers another dimension with Bat and Ball and picked Haseebullah over Tayab Tahir and switched him to reserves.

I also would of liked to see Abrar bowl in Sharjah conditions and rest Naseem Shah for this series.

My starting XI

Saim Ayub
Muhammad Haris
Abdullah Shafique
Azam Khan (WK)
Ifti
Imad
Shadab (C)
Nawaz
Faheem
waseem Jr
Ihsanullah

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

Some very strange selections - people with zero performance at PSL 8 yet they have been picked.

I assume you mean Shan Masood, Ifti and Mo Wasim.

They did perform Reasonably well at the WC. It makes a mockery of selection if they’re dropped just based on PSL performances.

[jattafridi]

Fans demand why pcb don’t give young players chance

So if Pakistan lose the series they will say that’s why

Babar and Rizwan will continue in t20 master plan from Pcb

[SamNJ]

Shan and Iftikhar were relatively good at T20 WC in challenging batting conditions. That's why they are getting long rope I think.

[Kianig89]

With the lightweight squad this makes an even contest and a chance for AFG to get a upper hand in this South Asian Derby, nonetheless if we lose a game or series then RizBar will return as messiah for flatbed home series against the Kiwis

[Bewal Express]

Shaan and Fh Ashraf shouldn't be there. Would have like to seen Usama in the squad. Overall a good squad