Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan dropped from Pakistan's T20I squad for New Zealand series; no Shaheen Afridi for ODIs

Pakistan has made notable adjustments to their T20I squad in a bid to discover the right winning combination, with captain Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam being left out for the upcoming five-match series in New Zealand.

After their disappointing exit from the home Champions Trophy, the team has undergone a revamp, welcoming back Shadab Khan, who has also been appointed vice-captain. The T20I captaincy has been given to Salman Agha, who serves as Rizwan's deputy. In the ODI squad, Rizwan will continue to lead, but Shaheen Afridi has been omitted.

Mohammad Haris returns after a lengthy absence from the national team, while Saim Ayub remains out due to an ankle injury he sustained in South Africa. Young wicketkeeper Hasan Nawaz, who has limited T20 experience, has been included in the squad. Abdul Samad, a powerful batter who has made a mark in domestic T20 tournaments, has also secured a place. Omair Yousuf from Quetta Gladiators has been called up as Pakistan aims to infuse fresh talent into their batting lineup.

The bowling department sees fewer changes, with Afridi and Haris Rauf keeping their spots from the recent T20I series in South Africa. Naseem Shah, who last played T20Is against Australia in November, is still missing. Spinners Sufiyaan Muqeem and Abrar Ahmed have retained their positions, while Khushdil Shah has been added to the squad.

These recent changes signal the end of a brief and unsatisfactory stint as T20I captain for Rizwan. He led Pakistan in just five completed T20Is, suffering defeats in all of them. During the three T20Is in Zimbabwe, Rizwan was not present, and Agha took over, leading Pakistan to a 2-1 series victory.

Babar's absence also suggests that Pakistan might be looking to move away from the Babar-Rizwan partnership at the top of the batting order. Since it began in 2020, this duo has received mixed reviews. Some criticize their cautious style in T20Is, while others value their steady run-scoring, especially when compared to the unpredictable middle order.

In contrast, the ODI squad sees fewer major changes, with the notable omission of Afridi. Despite being a key player in Pakistan's recent ODI series wins in South Africa and Australia, Afridi has been left out. Rizwan retains the ODI captaincy, Babar stays in the squad, and Abdullah Shafique returns after being dropped for the Champions Trophy. Additionally, left-arm fast bowler Akif Javed receives his first ODI call-up, while Sufiyaan Muqeem also makes a return.

Pakistan is set to play five T20Is in New Zealand starting on March 16, followed by three ODIs.

Pakistan T20I squad: Hasan Nawaz, Omair Yousuf, Mohammad Haris, Abdul Samad, Salman Agha (capt), Irfan Niazi, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Abbas Afridi, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyaan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan

Pakistan ODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (capt), Salman Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Irfan Niazi, Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir.

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