Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced Pakistan's squad for the upcoming white ball series against New Zealand. Pakistan will play a five-match T20I series followed by a three-match ODI series against the Blackcaps, which is scheduled to start from March 16. This will be Pakistan's first international assignment after their poor performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
PCB named Salman Ali Agha as their new T20I skipper and Shadab Khan will be his deputy in the upcoming assignment for New Zealand. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam have been dropped from the T20Is against Pakistan. Apart from Babar, opening batters Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub missed the spot from both the T20I and ODI squads.
Fakhar Zaman got injured in the ICC Champions Trophy clash against New Zealand that ruled him out of the tournament. Saim Ayub got injured during a Test match against South Africa. Both batters will make their international comeback in the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League, which is scheduled to start from April 11, 2025.
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"Openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were not considered for either format on medical advice. Fakhar suffered a left lower intercostal muscle sprain during Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand, while Saim is recovering from a right ankle fracture sustained on the first day of the Cape Town Test against South Africa in January. Both are expected to be fully fit for the HBL Pakistan Super League 10, starting in Rawalpindi on 11 April 2025" said PSL in a release.
Squads
T20I squad - Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousaf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan
ODI squad - Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sufyan Moqim and Tayyab Tahir. A wicketkeeper/batter will be added to the ODI squad following the T20Is
