New Delhi: Former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has returned to the Pakistan team for the upcoming white-ball tour of Australia after being sidelined for the recent two Tests against England. He marks his return alongside pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah. The Pakistani selectors on Sunday announced the ODI and the T20I series squads, not just for the Australia tour, but for the Zimbabwe tour as well which begins next month.
Several new faces have been brought into the four squads and on the contrary, senior players like Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan missed out on the selection. For those unversed, Fakhar is facing an inquiry from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for backing Babar on social media before the selectors benched him for the home Test series against England.
🚨 Announcing Pakistan’s squads for the Australia and Zimbabwe tours 🚨
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/vzc7iFBINJ#AUSvPAK | #ZIMvPAK pic.twitter.com/l66VW259EA
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 27, 2024
The squads were announced without a captain’s tag alongside any player’s name and according to several media reports, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi will announce the new captains for the limited-overs formats later in the day while addressing the media. News is around the corner that wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha are expected to be the new white-ball skippers.
In what can be termed a bold step, the selectors have decided to test some new players with the Zimbabwe ODIs and T20Is. Meanwhile, the ODI and T20I squads for the Australia tour consist of all the main players. Babar, Shaheen, and Naseem, who return for the Australia leg of the tour after getting sidelined for the last two England Tests, will however be rested for the Zimbabwe tour.
The Australia tour will kick off on November 4 and will run till November 18 across different venues (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is). Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe three-match ODI and T20I series will be played in its entirety in Bulawayo from November 24 to December 5. Pakistan will also be touring South Africa for three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests as well, in December-January.
The fresh selection panel of Aaqib Javed, Azhar Ali, Aleem Dar, Asad Shafiq, and Hasan Cheema also announced that Rizwan will be available for the entire Australia tour and Zimbabwe ODIs, while he would rest for the Zimbabwe T20Is.
Why is Babar a major missing from the Zimbabwe tour?
Cricket fans across the world believe that Babar needs to play against Zimbabwe to improve his form and score runs, also improving his batting average and ICC rankings in the process. Statistically, Babar has played 18 matches against Zimbabwe in all formats of the game and has amassed 693 runs at an average of 57.75.
He is well known for his terrific form against Zimbabwe as he breathes fire with the bat, whenever he takes on the African side. His all-guns blazing form against them makes him a major missing in the Pakistan squads.
Pakistan squad for Australia tour
ODIs: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
T20Is: Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan.
Pakistan squad for Zimbabwe tour
ODIs: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani and Tayyab Tahir.
T20Is: Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan.
