Pakistan's ICC Champions Trophy 2017 winning captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has been left out of the 20-member squad that will take on New Zealand in a three-match ODI series later this month. New Zealand is touring Pakistan for the first time since 2003 for a limited-overs tour.
Mohammad Rizwan has been Pakistan’s first-choice wicketkeeper for over a year and Sarfaraz Ahmed has played only one out of the last 10 ODIs for Pakistan.
Twenty-year-old wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris was named in the ODI squad as a backup for Rizwan. The other uncapped players include fast bowlers Mohammad Wasim and Shahnawaz Dahani, and leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood.
“Mohammad Rizwan remains the first-choice wicketkeeper. We continue to groom young wicketkeepers who are fit and ready to step up when the opportunity presents itself,” chief selector Mohammad Wasim said as quoted by AP.
Apart from these changes, middle-order batsmen Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah were recalled to the team. Both last played in the ODI series against Zimbabwe last year.
“We have continued to ensure that we give opportunities to high-performing players while looking into the future so that we can develop strong bench strength. Middle-order has remained our concern and, as such, after trying a few options, we have decided to give another run to Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah,” Wasim said.
The selectors dropped batsmen Haris Sohail, Salman Ali Agha and Sohaib Maqsood along with Sarfaraz Ahmed from the team which last played an ODI series against England in July.
New Zealand will arrive in Pakistan on 11 September and will play the ODI series at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on September 17, 19 and 21.
Pakistan Squad:
Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Saud Shakeel, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir and Zahid Mahmood.
(With AP inputs)
