Pakistan cricket team have left out the veteran trio of Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan from the squad for the T20I series against Bangladesh. The 16-member squad was announced by the PCB on Wednesday, with Salman Ali Agha set to continue as the captain while Shadab Khan will serve as his deputy. The series will mark Mike Hesson’s first assignment as the new Pakistan coach.
Pakistan snub Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen
This isn’t the first time that the trio have been left out from the T20I side. Earlier in April, Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen were snubbed from the T20I squad in the series against New Zealand. However, they returned to play in the ODIs. A press release from the PCB stated that the selection has been made based on the performances of the players in the Pakistan Super League (PSL 10).
In PSL 10, Babar Azam has scored just 288 runs in 10 matches, including three half-centuries. Rizwan as fared slightly better, managing to score 367 runs in 10 games, with a highest score of an unbeaten 105. Afridi, on the other hand, has taken just 11 wickets from 10 games. It is pertinent to point out that all the three stars are captains of their respective franchises in the PSL.
The series will mark the return of Fakhar Zaman to the national team. He was named as a part of Champions Trophy squad but had to exit the tournament right at the start due to an injury. Opener Saim Ayub, who had suffered a fractured ankle earlier this year, is also set to make his comeback.
Pakistan squad for BAN T20Is
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicket-keeper) and Saim Ayub
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