The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has unveiled an 18-player squad, with Babar Azam at the helm, for the forthcoming series against Ireland and England.
The Men in Green have kept their main squad intact from the recent 5-match T20I series against New Zealand at home. Even though the first match got rained out, the following four saw a split, with Pakistan winning two and the Kiwis taking two as well. With their first T20 series ending in a draw ahead of the T20 World Cup, Babar Azam and his team are eyeing better results in Ireland and England.
The big buzz from the PCB’s announcement of the squad for the upcoming away series in Ireland and England is the comeback of fast bowlers Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali. These two were absent from the Pakistani squad during the 2-2 draw in the T20I series against New Zealand.
Hasan Ali is making his return to national colors after a break since January 2024. His last match for Pakistan was during the 3rd Test against Australia in Sydney. Interestingly, he’s set to play his first T20I game for the national team since September 2022 when he faced Sri Lanka in Dubai.
As for Haris Rauf, the right-arm pacer who was part of Pakistan’s runner-up squad in the 2022 T20 World Cup, is ready to bounce back from a shoulder injury. Rauf got sidelined due to this injury while playing for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League earlier this year.
Upon their return to the national setup, Rauf and Ali will join Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, and Mohammad Amir as the other pacers. Spin department will be handled by Imad Wasim and Abrar Ahmed, with Iftikhar Ahmed also capable of contributing with his bowling when needed.
Pakistan has also assembled a robust batting lineup led by skipper Babar Azam, with Mohammad Rizwan and Azam Khan as the wicket-keeping options.
Pakistan’s T20I Squad:
Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan.
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