Pakistan announce squad for England, West Indies tours; uncapped Azam Khan featured in T20I squad

• Uncapped Azam Khan featured in T20I squad. 
• Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah recalled to Test squad. 
• Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim named for T20I, ODI squads. 

LAHORE: Pakistan on Friday announced the squads for the upcoming tours of England and the West Indies. 

Haris Sohail and Imad Wasim have been recalled to the ODI and T20I squads while the uncapped Azam Khan has been included for the T20Is. 

Other notable recalls include Mohammad Abbas and Naseem Shah for the Test squad. 

Pakistan will play three ODIs and as many T20Is in England from July 8-20, before taking on world champions West Indies in five T20Is, followed by two Test matches.

Yasir Shah’s inclusion is subject to fitness as the wrist spinner is yet to fully recover from the knee injury that sidelined him from the Zimbabwe Tests. 

The selectors have retained leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood along with left-arm spinner Nauman Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan for the Jamaica Tests.

Uncapped Saud Shakeel has also reclaimed his spot after missing the South Africa ODIs due to an injury. Salman Ali Agha, who has lost his Test spot, has been called-up for the ODIs.

Fakhar Zaman has maintained his place in the original squad after being drafted as an additional player for the Zimbabwe T20Is, following a stellar performance in South Africa.

Quetta Gladiators’ Azam Khan, the 22-year-old hard-hitting batsman, is the new face in the T20I squad.

Squads:

ODIs: Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Shadab Khan (vice-captain) (Northern), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Haider Ali (Northern), Haris Rauf (Northern), Haris Sohail (Balochistan), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Salman Ali Agha (Southern Punjab), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper) (Sindh), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Usman Qadir (Central Punjab).

T20Is: Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Shadab Khan (vice-captain) (Northern), Arshad Iqbal (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Azam Khan (Sindh), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Haider Ali (Northern), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Imad Wasim (Northern), Mohammad Hafeez (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper) (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sharjeel Khan (Sindh) and Usman Qadir (Central Punjab).

Tests: Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper) (vice-captain) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Abid Ali (Central Punjab), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Imran Butt (Balochistan), Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Naseem Shah (Central Punjab), Nauman Ali (Northern), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper) (Sindh), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh), Yasir Shah (Balochistan, subject to fitness) and Zahid Mahmood (Southern Punjab).

'Selection in consultations with Babar Azam, Misbah-ul-Haq'

Chief selector Muhammad Wasim said the management had decided to remain consistent in its selection and include the players who have formed the core of the team during the last few series. 

"This is an extremely important and critical tour for Pakistan as we will be playing the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs against England as well as the T20Is against England and the West Indies as part of our preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup," he said, adding that the Jamaica Test will be included in the ICC World Test Championship.

“As such, keeping in view the above and in consultation with captain Babar Azam and head Misbah-ul-Haq, we have tried our best to maintain the winning combinations but at the same time recalled four experienced players and rewarded uncapped Azam Khan for his domestic performance, while also giving him the required confidence for the future challenges," he added. 

“Mohammad Abbas has regained his form, Naseem Shah and Haris Sohail have reclaimed the required fitness standards, while Imad Wasim has been recalled considering the T20 World Cup is likely to be held in the UAE and he enjoys an excellent record there.

“The return of these four players meant we had to leave some players, which is never an easy decision. But we have collectively opted for what was in the best interest of the side, taking into consideration the opponents and the requirement of the formats on the upcoming tours.

“The players who have missed on selection will remain part of our strategy, and, as such, they will continue to work on their technical game at the National High Performance Centre under the watchful eyes of Mohammad Yousuf and Saqlain Mushtaq," he said. 

He said that since the home series against South Africa, the Pakistan team has maintained an "upward movement" but warned that there were some loose ends. 

"We would like to close [the loose ends] by the end of the England and West Indies tours so that there is absolutely clarity on our compositions for the post West Indies tour engagements.

“I strongly believe the changes will plug those gaps and will put us in a strong position in our endeavours to feature in the top three across all formats by the end of 2023," he said. 

Schedule of England tour:

25 June – Departure for Manchester

6 July – Arrival in Cardiff

8 July - 1st ODI, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

10 July – 2nd ODI, Lord’s, London

13 July – 3rd ODI, Edgbaston, Birmingham

16 July – 1st T20I, Trent Bridge, Nottingham

18 July – 2nd T20I, Headingley, Leeds

20 July – 3rd T20I, Old Trafford, Manchester

Schedule of West Indies tour

21 Jul – Arrival in Barbados

27 Jul – 1st T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

28 Jul – 2nd T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

31 Jul – 3rd T20I, Providence Stadium, Guyana

1 Aug – 4th T20I, Providence Stadium, Guyana

3 Aug – 5th T20I, Providence Stadium, Guyana

6-7 Aug – Two-day practice match, Guyana

12-16 Aug – 1st Test, Sabina Park, Jamaica

20-24 Aug – 2nd Test, Sabina Park, Jamaica

25 Aug – Departure