Pakistan head coach and chief selector, Misbah Ul Haq, on Monday (October 19) confirmed a 22-member probables list for the forthcoming home limited-overs series versus Zimbabwe.
Misbah and the selection panel have kept the trust on experience in the 50-over format while promoting young aspiring talents in the T20 game.
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Along those lines, Central Punjab’s Abdullah Shafiq has been rewarded with a maiden call-up after finishing among the top run-getters in the National T20 Cup with 358 runs with a strike-rate of over 133.
Noticeable exclusion is that of Pakistan's veteran middle-order batsman Shoaib Malik, whom Shafiq has walked in place of, and also wicketkeeper batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed, the former captain, who has been given time away to focus on regaining form through upcoming domestic First-Class competition.
Sarfaraz's absence meant encouragement to Rohail Nazir as back-up to first-choice gloveman Mohammad Rizwan.
"Abdullah Shafiq has been rewarded for his tremendous potential and performance. He has been identified as a future prospect and, therefore, drafted into the squad as part of his development," said Misbah in a media release.
"Seniors like Shoaib Malik and Sarfaraz Ahmed have not been picked for this series, but I want to categorically state that their careers are not over by any means as performance remains the only criterion for selection."
Recovering from injuries, both Hasan Ali and Naseem Shah weren't considered for selection. The two fast bowlers have been advised to prove their fitness in the domestic matches coming up.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) informed, all the "22 probables will assemble in Lahore on 21 October for Covid-19 testing and after observing a five-day isolation period, during which they will play two 50-over matches at the Gaddafi Stadium, will travel to Rawalpindi on Monday, 26 October."
Captain Babar Azam will lead the side in Pakistan's first set of ODIs in nearly 12 months. The three matches to be played in Rawalpindi on October 30, November 1 and 3, respectively, are also part of the ICC Super League, where Pakistan strive to qualify for the 2023 World Cup in India. The three T20Is will be held in Lahore on November 7, 8 and 10, respectively.
Pakistan probables for ODIs and T20Is: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafiq, Abid Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Musa Khan, Rohail Nazir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz and Zafar Gohar
