The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has unveiled the 18-man squad for the T20I series against Ireland and England. The 18-man squad sees the return of Haris Rauf, who suffered a shoulder dislocation during his PSL 9 stint for the Lahore Qalandars. The Men in Green will face Ireland in 3 T20Is, followed by 4 against England.
Along with Rauf, Hasan Ali and Salman Ali Agha have also returned to the fold after missing out on playing against New Zealand in the recently-concluded series. Rauf's comeback would mean that Pakistan have a formidable potential starting pace trio alongside Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Pakistan's selection issued the below statement, claiming how challenging it was to pick the squad from a pool of highly talented players.
"Crafting this squad was a challenging task due to the outstanding talent available. After thorough deliberation and considering various cricketing aspects, we have finalised these 18 players. The squad encompasses a robust top-order featuring Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, and Usman Khan; an effective middle-order with Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed and Muhammad Irfan Khan; versatile all-rounders in Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan and Salman Ali Agha; a pace battery led by Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi; and the spin prowess of Abrar Ahmed."
Pakistan's squad to face Ireland and England:
Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.
The 18-man squad will be trimmed to 15 following the 1st T20I against England on May 22nd in Leeds.
