PAK vs NZ: Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan Return As Pakistan Announce Squads For New Zealand Series

Shaheen Afridi is set to make his return to international cricket after a four-month hiatus due to a knee injury sustained during the first Test against Sri Lanka in July 2022. Shaheen Afridi missed five Tests and three ODIs against England and New Zealand, as well as other tournaments including the ODI series against the Netherlands, the ACC Asia Cup in the UAE, and a seven-match T20I series in Pakistan.

However, the 22-year-old Shaheen Afridi made a remarkable comeback in the HBL Pakistan Super League 8, leading the Lahore Qalandars to a successful title defense and earning the captaincy of the Team of HBL PSL 8.

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Shaheen Afridi’s performance was outstanding both with the bat and the ball, scoring 133 runs at a strike rate of 168.35 and grabbing 19 wickets at an economy rate of 9.13. He has taken a total of 99 Test, 62 ODI, and 58 T20I wickets. Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Rizwan will also be returning to both squads after being rested for last month’s three-T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah.

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Big Changes To Pakistan Squad As Shaheen Afridi Returns

Babar Azam will resume his duties as captain in the ODI and T20I series against New Zealand, while Shadab Khan will return to his position as vice-captain. The T20I squad will include three young guns, Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, and Zaman Khan, who have been retained following stellar performances in Sharjah. Additionally, Ihsanullah has been added to the ODI squad for the first time in his career.

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The series against New Zealand will be played in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi from April 14 to May 7. The squad will assemble in Lahore on April 6, with the training camp commencing on April 7.

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SQUADS For New Zealand Tour Of Pakistan

T20I: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), 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

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ODI: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), 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

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