Pakistan will begin their home T20I and ODI series against New Zealand with full-strength squads on April 14, 2023.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, the star pacer has successfully recovered from a knee injury and will participate in both the T20I and ODI matches against New Zealand.
Shaheen Afridi captained Lahore Qalandars to victory in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he played impressively with both bat and ball. He scored 133 runs at a strike-rate of 168.35 and also took 19 wickets.
Shaheen, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, and Haris Rauf were rested for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah. However, they are now back in the squad for the upcoming matches. Pakistan lost the series against Afghanistan 2-1, which was their first bilateral series win in any format against Pakistan. The absence of these star players was felt during the series.
Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub and Zaman Khan showed good performances in the T20I series in Sharjah, which earned them a spot in the upcoming T20I squad against New Zealand. Moreover, Ihsanullah’s impressive performance in the series also resulted in his maiden call-up for the 50-over format, and he might make his ODI debut soon.
New Zealand squad for Pak vs NZ ODI series 2023 has been announced. Tom Latham will lead NZ side as their regular captain Kane Williamson will miss the series due to his participation in the IPL. Saqlain Mushtaq will be New Zealand team’s assistant coach for Pakistan tour.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand Series
T20I squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Zaman Khan.
ODI squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usama Mir. Reserves: Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed and Tayyab Tahir.
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