Sports

Pakistan announce squads for ODI, T20I series against New Zealand

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Tuesday announced the squads for the one-day international (ODI) and T20 international (T20I) series against New Zealand.

Shaheen Shah Afridi is all set to return to international cricket after four months when he was named in the Pakistan squads for the series against New Zealand, which will be played in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi from April 14 to May 7.

Shaheen had missed five Tests and three ODIs against England and New Zealand post the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 as he was completing his rehabilitation following a knee injury he had sustained during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle in July.

He had subsequently missed the second Test against Sri Lanka, ODI series against the Netherlands, ACC Asia Cup in the UAE and seven-match T20I series in Pakistan.

The 22-year-old, who has taken 99 Test, 62 ODI and 58 T20I wickets, staged a remarkable comeback in the Pakistan Super League 8 when he inspired Lahore Qalandars to become the first side to successfully defend the title.

Not only that, Shaheen’s own performance was outstanding both with the bat and the ball — he scored 133 runs at a strike-rate of 168.35 and grabbed 19 wickets at an economy-rate of 9.13. He was rightly named captain of Team of HBL PSL 8.

Apart from Shaheen, also returning to both the squads are Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan. All these players had rested for last month’s three-T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah.

This means Babar Azam will resume his normal services as captain in the ODI and T20I series against New Zealand, while Shadab will return to his original position as vice-captain.

Three young guns — Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub and Zaman Khan — have been retained in the T20I squad following stellar performances in Sharjah, while Ihsanullah has also been added to the ODI squad for the first time in his career.

The squad will assemble in Lahore on 6 April where the training camp will commence on 7 April.

Squads

T20I: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Zaman Khan

ODI: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usama Mir. Reserves: Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed and Tayyab Tahir

Series schedule (T20Is to start at 9pm; ODIs to begin at 3.30pm):

14 Apr – 1st T20I, Lahore

15 Apr – 2nd T20I, Lahore

17 Apr – 3rd T20I, Lahore

20 Apr – 4th T20I, Rawalpindi

24 Apr – 5th T20I, Rawalpindi

27 Apr – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi

29 Apr – 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi

3 May – 3rd ODI, Karachi

5 May – 4th ODI, Karachi

7 May – 5th ODI, Karachi

Latest News

Sumair Ahmad is named the 2025 Champions Trophy Director by PCB.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi commented on the appointment, saying, “Sumair is a highly organized professional with a wealth of administrative expertise.” He will undoubtedly give players, officials, and fans alike an amazing ICC Champions Trophy 2025, especially when combined with his unshakable love for cricket.

He continued, “The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 promises to showcase Pakistan’s ability to host world-class cricketing events, welcoming players and fans from around the globe to experience the country’s renowned hospitality and passion for the game.”

The BCCI informed the ICC earlier this month that it will not be sending a side to the event, which is set for 2025 in Pakistan during the February–March season.

After the PCB asked for clarity in its letter regarding the BCCI’s unwillingness to tour Pakistan, the ICC requested India’s justifications for not inviting Pakistan to compete for the Champions Trophy.

The broadcasters, meanwhile, reportedly pushed the ICC to make the Champions Trophy 2025 schedule available right away.

Due to the Indian government’s refusal to send a delegation to Pakistan for the event, the schedule that was supposed to be issued on November 12 was postponed.

The broadcasting rights, which were given to broadcasters for a record $3 billion until 2027, are heavily dependent on the success of the main events, especially those involving India and Pakistan, which regularly attract the largest audiences.

Latest News

India withdraws from the World Cup of Blind T20 Cricket in Pakistan

Published

3 days ago

Farwa

Adding to the issue surrounding the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Indian government refused to allow their squad to travel to Pakistan for the Blind Cricket T20 World Cup, which is set to start in Lahore on November 23.

According to Indian media, India, the reigning champion, would not go to Pakistan to play in the Blind T20 World Cup 2024 since the government has not given its approval.

Lahore and Multan are set to host the Blind T20 World Cup 2024 from November 23 to December 3.

The general secretary of the Indian Blind Cricket Association (IBCA), Sailendra Yadav, recently discussed the upsetting news about the blind cricket team’s upcoming trip to Pakistan in an interview with India Today.

The team was given a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Sports Ministry, but the Ministry of External Affairs finally refused to allow them to enter the border, Yadav revealed.

Yadav stated, “We have been waiting for the government to give us permission to travel to Pakistan for the past 25 days.”

“We will not be receiving any authorization to travel to Pakistan, and we can cancel your tournament,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed us over the phone.

Latest News

Aaqib Javed designated as interim head coach for white-ball formats of Pakistan

Published

4 days ago

Farwa

On Monday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the hiring of former fast bowler Aaqib Javed as the interim head coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team till the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Throughout this period, Aaqib will maintain his role as a senior member of the men’s National Selection Committee and will be allocated more responsibilities upon the completion of the eight-team tournament.

The PCB will commence the recruitment process for a permanent white-ball head coach, with the objective of finalising the appointment before the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy, which is set to take place from 19 February to 9 March.

The white-ball coaching position became available with Gary Kirsten’s departure last month, prior to the current tour of Australia.

In Kirsten’s absence, red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie led the team during the tour of Australia and will now return for the forthcoming two-Test series in South Africa.

The Pakistan men’s team is set to compete in three ODIs and three T20Is in Zimbabwe from November 24 to December 5, followed by an equal number of white-ball matches in South Africa from December 10 to 22.

Prior to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan will host New Zealand and South Africa for an ODI triangular series from February 8 to 14.

Aaqib Javed had considerable coaching expertise, having formerly held the position of Pakistan’s bowling coach during their triumphant ICC T20 World Cup campaign in 2009. Earlier this year, he served as the bowling coach for the Sri Lanka men’s squad.

Before that, he managed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in achieving ODI status and qualifying for the ICC World Cup 2015 in Australia during his term as head coach.

Additionally, the right-arm fast bowler served as the coach of Pakistan’s Under-19 squad during their victory in the U19 World Cup in 2004.