NEW DELHI: Former captain Babar Azam, along with pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, are set to return to the Pakistan team for the upcoming white-ball series in Australia. The trio had been sidelined for two Tests against England.
The Pakistani selectors have announced the squads for the One-Day International and T20I matches in Australia and Zimbabwe, which are set to start next month.
New faces are part of the squads, with notable absences of senior players like Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan.
Fakhar Zaman is under investigation by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) due to a tweet he posted in support of Babar Azam before the England Tests, which led to his exclusion.
Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the PCB, will announce the new captains for the limited-overs formats at a media conference this afternoon.
Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha are anticipated to be named the new white-ball captains.
Taking some bold steps, the selectors aim to use the ODIs and T20s in Zimbabwe to evaluate new players.
The main players will participate in the three ODIs and T20Is each in Australia.
Babar, Shaheen, and Naseem, who were sidelined after the first Test against England, are back for the Australian leg of the tour. They will be rested for the Zimbabwe tour.
The Australia tour is scheduled from November 4 to 18.
The three-match ODI and T20I series in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, will take place from November 24 to December 5.
Pakistan is also set to tour South Africa for three ODIs, three T20Is, and two Tests in December and January.
The selection committee, including Aaqib Javed, Azhar Ali, Aleem Dar, Asad Shafiq, and Hasan Cheema, has also announced that while Rizwan will be available for the Australia tour and Zimbabwe ODIs, he will be rested for the Zimbabwe T20Is.
ODI squad vs Australia: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
T20I squad vs Australia: Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan.
ODI squad vs Zimbabwe: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani and Tayyab Tahir.
T20I squad vs Zimbabwe: Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan.
