Pakistan announce squad for New Zealand T20Is, two big names return to national team

For most of the people in the cricketing fraternity, be it the fans or the experts, one thing that always remains constant is the transformational nature of the dynamics of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan Cricket Team. In another turnaround of events and what seems to be another change, Pakistan announced their squad for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand.

The selectors have made some massive changes in this squad for the series against England; firstly, it includes the comeback of former skipper Babar Azam in the captaincy role after PCB reappointed him.

Apart from this, former star pacer Mohammad Amir and former all-rounder Imad Wasim, who took their retirements back a few days ago have been included in this squad considering the team’s preparations for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

Notably, the star pacer Haris Rauf, whose central contract was restored a few weeks ago, couldn’t make it to the squad for the T20I assignment against the Blackcaps due to his injury.

Here’s a look at the Pakistan squad for the T20I series against New Zealand

Babar Azam (C), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan (WK), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Mohammad Amir, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, and Zaman Khan.

Non-Travelling Reserves - Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Sahibzada Farhan, and Salman Ali Agha.

The newly appointed manager of the senior men’s team of Pakistan, Wahab Riaz also spoke about the return of Mohammed Amir and Imad Wasim to the T20I side of Pakistan.

“The decision to include Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir was a straightforward one, given their availability for selection and considering Haris Rauf's injury and Mohammad Nawaz's current form,” Wahab Riaz was quoted as saying in the official press release of PCB.

“Both Amir and Imad possess undeniable match-winning capabilities, and we trust they will consistently deliver strong performances to bolster the team's objectives,” he added later.