Uncapped gamers Mohammad Haris and Asif Afridi on Thursday earned call-ups for Pakistan’s white-ball sequence, comprising three ODIs and one-off T20I in opposition to Australia.
Left-arm spinner Asif and wicketkeeper-batter Haris have earned the selectors’ nod to the squads led by Babar Azam on account of their spectacular performances within the home circuit.
“I need to congratulate Asif and Haris on their inclusions in squads for the Australia sequence. This is a reward for his or her laborious work and constant performances within the home circuit. Their choices are additionally a message for all home gamers that their performances are being adopted and every time a possibility arises, they are going to be rewarded with a nationwide staff call-up,” said Muhammad Wasim, Chair of the Selection Committee.
In the recently concluded seventh edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL), Asif took eight wickets in five matches for Multan Sultans, while 20-year-old Haris scored 166 runs in five matches at an impressive strike-rate of 186.5 for Peshawar Zalmi.
In the ongoing Pakistan Cup, Haris has already scored 219 runs in seven matches at an average of just under 44 for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Asif has picked up eight wickets in seven matches for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with an economy-rate of 4.39. Haris was named in the Pakistan squad for the home series against New Zealand but the series couldn’t be played at the time as the Kiwis returned home on the day of the series opener.
“Australia are an equally outstanding team in the shorter formats of the game and, as such, we have decided to go with the best available and most experienced players. The four white-ball matches have significant context as the 50-over games count towards the 2023 World Cup qualification and the 20-over will be a repeat of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final. So, a lot to look-out for when the two sides will compete in coloured kits,” added Wasim.
Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz, who didn’t characteristic within the ongoing Benaud-Qadir Trophy as a result of a foot damage, has been drafted within the aspect for each the ODI and T20I codecs. However, his choice within the taking part in line-up will probably be topic to health check.
While a 20-member squad has been picked for the three-match ODI sequence that comes underneath the ODI Super League, the selectors have omitted Abdullah Shafique, Imam-Ul-Haq and Saud Shakeel from the group for the lone T20I.
The white-ball gamers will assemble in Lahore on March 22 and can bear a three-day room isolation following which they’ll be part of the nationwide aspect. Australia are ranked third in ODIs aside from being reigning males’s T20 World Cup champions.
Pakistan, then again, are ranked sixth and third within the 50-over and 20-over codecs, respectively. In the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, Australia are seventh and Pakistan ninth to find out the highest seven groups who will instantly qualify for the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup to be hosted by India in October-November subsequent yr.
ODI squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-Ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir
T20I squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir
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