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Misbahul Haq announces Pakistani squad for Zimbabwe series

Misbahul Haq announces Pakistani squad for Zimbabwe series
October 19, 2020

LAHORE (92 News) - Pakistan head coach Misbahul Haq on Monday announced 22-members Pakistani squad for the ODI and T20I series against Zimbabwe at the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore.

Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik and star fast-bowler Mohammad Amir have been rested for the upcoming limited-overs series against Zimbabwe. The team will be led by star batsman Babar Azam and will feature a new face in young Abdullah Shafique.

The 20-year-old had a stunning National T20 Cup for Central Punjab where he managed to score 358 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 133.

Addressing a press conference, Misbah revealed that the senior trio has been rested to give youngsters more opportunity in the upcoming series. “The decision to rest players like Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir, Usman Khan Shinwari and  Sarfaraz Ahmed was taken to give the younger players an extended run in the upcoming series,” he said.

The 46-year-old further went on to explain why there are not many changes in the squad for the home series.

“The reason we’ve not made too many changes in the squad is because as we all know, from now on, every One-Day International will have a great significance as they are a part of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League,” said Misbah. “Therefore, we cannot afford to make too many changes and we can also not take any team lightly.”

He continued by saying: “We want to have some stability and keep a good combination. So our focus is on giving youngsters who have been with the team for some time a longer run so they can showcase their talent.”

The players selected for the ODI and T20 series include Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafiq, Abid Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Musa Khan, Rohail Nazir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz and Zafar Gohar

Zimbabwe will arrive later today for three ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League matches on October 30, November 1 and 3, which will be followed by three T20Is on November 7, 8, and 10.