Amir, Sarfaraz dropped, uncapped Shafique in Pakistan squad for Zimbabwe series
Oct 19, 2020
Lahore [Pakistan], October 19 : Fast bowler Mohammad Amir, batsmen Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik have been left out of Pakistan's white-ball squad of 22 for the Zimbabwe series, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Monday.
Pakistan have not played ODIs since the home series against Sri Lanka a year ago and the matches against Zimbabwe will be part of ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League from which the seven top-ranked sides, apart from hosts India, will qualify directly for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.
Uncapped player Abdullah Shafiq has got a call-up after he finished as the seventh most successful batsman in the National T20 Cup with 358 runs with a strike-rate of over 133.
"Abdullah Shafiq has been rewarded for his tremendous potential and performance. He has been identified as a future prospect and, therefore, drafted into the squad as part of his development," said Pakistan head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq in an official statement.
"Seniors like Shoaib Malik and Sarfaraz Ahmed have not been picked for this series, but I want to categorically state that their careers are not over by any means as performance remains the only criterion for selection," he added.
Fast bowlers Hasan Ali and Naseem Shah were not considered for selection as they are recovering from injuries.
"We have followed the same philosophy while leaving out Mohammad Amir and Usman Shinwari so that bowlers like Mohammad Hasnain, Musa Khan, and Haris Rauf can get an extended run," said the head coach.
Full squad: Babar Azam, Haider Ali, Abdullah Shafique, Imam ul Haq, Harris Sohail, Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Imad Wasim, Rohail Nazir, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Musa Khan, Wahab Riaz, Usman Qadar, Zafar Gohar.
The three-match ODI series will be played in Rawalpindi on October 30, November 1, and 3 while the T20 series will be staged in Lahore.
