Pakistan have introduced a 17-member squad for their upcoming five-match T20I series towards New Zealand in New Zealand beginning January 12. The announcement witnesses the return of wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan to the squad whereas rising batter Mohammad Haris and spin-bowling allrounder Shadab Khan haven’t been included.
While Haris has been rested, Shadab is present process rehab after twisting his ankle and would require two weeks to regain his health.
The choice committee has included uncapped gamers like Haseebullah Khan and Abbas Afridi alongside Usama Mir who’s but to make his T20I debut for Pakistan.
Before Haris’ non-selection might elevate any eyebrows, chief selector Wahab Riaz confirmed that he has been rested and is part of their plans sooner or later together with Shadab.
“Shadab is a very important member of Pakistan T20 cricket and he’s a white-ball specialist. Unfortunately, he got injured during the season; he twisted his ankle which will take another two weeks for rehab. He will be available to bowl after that. Haris is rested because there were some first-class performers and we saw Harris’ capability and since he’s part of our plans going forward, we want to use our pool of players,” Wahab informed reporters in a press convention.
Pakistan’s quick bowling reserves are pretty depleted in the mean time with the absence of Naseem Shah, Ihsanullah Khan and Mohammad Hasnain. However, as per Wahab, the Pakistani followers will quickly be capable to see Hasnain and Naseem in motion.
“Ihsanullah, Shadab, Mohammad Hasnain, and Naseem Shah were unfit,” Wahab stated. “The good news is Hasnain and Naseem have recovered and Naseem is undergoing rehab at the cricket academy and we don’t want to overload him so he will be available for the PSL next year. Same for Hasnain – he is returning and we’ve called him at the academy so we can assess him. Ihsanullah will unfortunately take more time and I’m not sure right now if he’ll play in the PSL or not. Shadab will also come to the academy after his ankle injury and he’ll undergo rehab,” Wahab stated.
On the opposite hand, Wahab and his committee members see Azam as an “Impact Player” and have rewarded him for the talents that he possesses. Wahab stated that the choice committee has knowledgeable Azam that he is part of the plan marching ahead however the 25-year-old must work on his health ranges.
“We’ve watched Azam very closely and at times it happens that you’ve to prefer skills over fitness. A player winning you a match is much more important than anything else,” Wahab stated. “We’ve spoken to Azam about fitness levels and we’ve sent him a very clear message that we want to invest in you but you have to respond as well. Obviously, you can’t expect someone to lose 10-15kgs in 10 days so Azam will travel with the team. He’s an impact player so we want to give him a chance and keep an eye on his fitness levels,” the chief selector talked about.
Pakistan’s T20I squad for the New Zealand series:
Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan
