Shadab to lead Pakistan T20I series against Afghanistan, PCB announced squad

• PCB announced squad for upcoming away T20I series against Afghanistan.
• Shadab Khan will be the new captain of Pakistan.
• The series will be played from March 24 to 27 in Sharjah

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a new 15-man squad for the upcoming away T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah on Monday. Shadab Khan will captain the team.

The Pakistan cricket selectors today announced a new-look and exceptionally talented 15-player squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, which will be played from March 24 to 27 in Sharjah. The series is intended to help Pakistan prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and to strategically manage the workloads of their elite cricketers.

Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir, and Zaman Khan are the four uncapped players in the team, which will be captained by all-rounder Shadab Khan. Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, and Imad Wasim have been called up.

Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, and Khushdil Shah have been dropped, while Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi have been rested. These nine athletes competed for Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, where they advanced to the championship game.

Players from the previous T20I series who have been retained include Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Naseem Shah, and Shan Masood in addition to Shadab.