Experienced Pakistan batsmen Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik have been recalled into the 15-member Pakistan squad for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, beginning January 24 at the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore.
Besides them, three uncapped players namely batsman Ahsan Ali and pacemen Amad Butt and Haris Rauf have also received maiden call-ups in the national squad.
While Ahsan was a part of Quetta Gladiators’ squad that won the last edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Rauf is currently featuring for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League (BBL) and has taken 16 wickets in seven games he has played so far.
Meanwhile, young pacer Shaheen Afridi, who missed the series against Australia and Sri Lanka in the shortest format of the game due to illness, has also made his way back into the squad.
Abdul Qadir’s son, Usman, is also in line to make his T20I debut for Pakistan after being retained in the national squad for the upcoming series against Bangladesh. Though Usman was earlier included for the Australia tour, he didn’t get a chance to play for the national side.
Reflecting on the squad, Pakistan chief selector and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq said that they have named a perfect mix of experienced and young players as they look to get back to winning ways leading into the upcoming Asia Cup and ICC T20 World Cup.
“We have lost eight of our last nine T20Is and as the number-one ranked side, this is unacceptable.We need to end our losing cycle and get back to winning habits leading into the upcoming Asia Cup and ICC T20 World Cup. This has played a critical role in our decision-making,” the International Cricket Council (ICC) official website quoted Misbah as saying.
“We tried our alternate combinations in the series against Sri Lanka and Australia, and obviously, these didn’t work the way we had expected. Hafeez and Shoaib bring a total of 200 T20Is between them and if you mix these with the other youngsters we have in the side, then I think it becomes a good blend of experience and youth,” he added.
The full Pakistan T20I squad is as follows:
Babar Azam (c), Ahsan Ali, Amad Butt, Iftikhar Ahmed Haris Rauf, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Musa, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Usman Qadir.
Source: Zee News