The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday (December 2) announced the squads for the white-ball series against the West Indies at home this month.
Pakistan will be hosting the West Indies in a three-match T20I series and as many as five ODIs, which are part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, in December.
The T20I series will be played on December 13, 14, and 16 in Karachi, while the three ODIs will be held at the same venue (National Stadium) on December 18, 20, and 22.
Imad Wasim, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Shoaib Malik have been left out of the Pakistan squad for both the white-ball series, while Hassan Ali has been rested for the home series as part of workload management.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Hasnain has been named in Pakistan's 15-member squad for the T20I series, while Abdullah Shafique has been added as a traveling reserve. Shadab Khan will be Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s deputy against the West Indies.
Pakistan’s chief selector Muhammad Wasim said: “As we have been playing T20Is since October and now have a pretty settled and balanced side, we have decided to reduce the number of players to 15. As such, we have not included Imad Wasim, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Shoaib Malik.”
He added, “In consultation with Hassan Ali and taking into consideration that he has been playing non-stop cricket since returning from a back injury, we have decided to give him time off from this series.”
Squads:
Pakistan’s T20I Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir.
ODI Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Hasnain, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir.
(With PCB/Reuters Inputs)
