Pakistan Cricket Team Welcomes Back Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah for Australia Tour
Pakistan’s cricket team is set to welcome back key players Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah for the upcoming white-ball series in Australia. The trio had been rested for the two-Test series against England.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the squads for the One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) matches in Australia and Zimbabwe, which begin next month. New faces have been included in the squads, while senior players Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan are notable absentees.
Fakhar Zaman is under investigation by the PCB for a tweet he posted in support of Babar Azam before the England Tests, which led to his exclusion. The PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, is expected to announce the new captains for the limited-overs formats at a media conference later today.
Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha are anticipated to be named the new white-ball captains. The selectors aim to use the ODIs and T20s in Zimbabwe to evaluate new players.
The main players will participate in the three ODIs and T20Is each in Australia. Babar, Shaheen, and Naseem, who were sidelined after the first Test against England, are back for the Australian leg of the tour. They will be rested for the Zimbabwe tour.
The Australia tour is scheduled from November 4 to 18. The three-match ODI and T20I series in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, will take place from November 24 to December 5.
Pakistan is also set to tour South Africa for three ODIs, three T20Is, and two Tests in December and January.