Islamabad, Mar 5: In a surprising move, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has dropped Muhammad Rizwan and Babar Azam from the T20 squad for the upcoming five-match series against New Zealand. Salman Ali Agha has been named the new T20 captain, with Shadab Khan making a comeback as vice-captain.However, Rizwan has retained his role as ODI captain despite Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the Champions Trophy. Babar Azam, too, remains in the ODI setup, though changes have been made to the squad. Saud Shakil and Kamran Ghulam have been left out, while pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf have also been excluded from the one-day squad.
Pakistan will be without aggressive opener Saim Ayub, who is still recovering from an ankle injury. Additionally, Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out after sustaining an injury during the Champions Trophy opener. Fakhar had only recently returned to the squad during the three-nation series, while Saim suffered his injury while fielding in the Test series against South Africa earlier this year.
Pakistan is set to play five T20 matches and three ODIs in New Zealand, beginning March 16. While the T20 squad has seen significant changes, the selectors have largely retained the ODI squad, opting against a complete overhaul despite their recent struggles.