WI vs PAK: Shaheen Afridi Returns, Babar Azam Left Out Of T20I Squad For West Indies Tour

Pakistan have announced their squads for the upcoming white-ball tour of the West Indies, and there’s a big twist, Shaheen Shah Afridi is back in T20Is, but Babar Azam is not.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday confirmed that Agha Salman will lead the T20I side, while Mohammad Rizwan has been named ODI captain. The teams will play three T20Is in Florida and three ODIs in Trinidad.

No Babar In T20Is, But Shaheen Returns

The biggest headline was the absence of Babar Azam from the shortest format once again. He will only feature in the ODI squad. Babar has not played a T20I since the T20 World Cup and continues to be overlooked despite being one of Pakistan’s top batters in the format.

Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi is back in the T20I mix after missing the Bangladesh series. Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali are also part of the pace attack. On the other hand, Naseem Shah has only been picked in the ODI squad.

Salman Mirza and Ahmed Daniyal, despite doing well against Bangladesh, have been dropped from the T20Is.

Who’s In And Who’s Out?

Young players like Hasan Nawaz, Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan have retained their T20I spots. In ODIs, Abdullah Shafique, Rizwan, and Babar will be the core of the batting line-up.

The T20I leg starts in Florida, before both teams head to Trinidad for the ODI series.

Pakistan Squads For West Indies Tour

T20Is: Agha Salman (c), Shaheen Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Sufyan Moqim

ODIs: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Agha Salman (vc), Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Abdullah Shafique, Hasan Nawaz, Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, Hussain Talat, Sufyan Moqim