Lahore: Captain Muhammad Rizwan and Babar Azam were Tuesday dropped from the Pakistan squad for the five-match T20 series in New Zealand.
Salman Ali Agha replaced Rizwan as captain of the T20 outfit, with all-rounder Shadab Khan being recalled and named his vice-captain.
Rizwan has been retained as captain of the ODI squad after the team’s disappointing show in the Champions Trophy. The selectors have avoided an overhaul in the one-day squad and retained majority of the players who flopped in the ongoing ICC event.
Babar is also retained in the ODI squad, but batters Saud Shakil and Kamran Ghulam have been axed.
The selectors have also sidelined fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf from the one-day squad.
Pakistan play five T20s and three ODIs in New Zealand starting March 16.
Pakistan will still be without dashing opener Saim Ayub, who is yet to recover from an ankle injury while opener, Fakhar Zaman has also been ruled out of the tour with an injury he sustained in the first match of the CT.
His injury came after making a comeback to the Pakistan squad last month in the three-nation event while Saim got injured while fielding during the Test series in South Africa earlier this year.
Pakistan squads:
ODI: Muhammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (VC), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam Faheem Ashraf, Imam ul Haq, Khushdil Shah, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Wasim junior, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah Sufyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir.
T20: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (VC), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Muhammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Haris, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.
PTI
