LAHORE, Mar 04 : The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday appointed all-rounder Salman Ali Agha captain of the Pakistan Men\u2019s T20I squad with Shadab Khan as his deputy in a new look New Zealand bound squad selected for the five-match T20I series in New Zealand.
\nBabar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, though selected for the ODI series, are the conspicuous absentees from the T20I squad while Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman missed out selection due to injuries and are likely to return to action in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) X in April. However, Mohammad Rizwan has been retained as ODI captain with Salman Ali Agha as the vice-captain.
\nPakistan interim head coach Aqib Javed alongside newly elevated T20I captain Salman Ali Agha, during a press conference at the Gaddafi stadium here on Tuesday, announced the T20I and ODI squads for the New Zealand tour which includes five T20Is and three ODIs between March 16 and April 5.<\/p>\n
In another development PCB has appointed former batting great Mohammad Yousuf as batting coach of the Men\u2019s cricket team.<\/p>\n
Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf have been selected for the T20I series in New Zealand while they were dropped from the ODI squad and Aqib Javed defended their absence from the ODI team due to below par performances in the format.
\nAbdullah Shafique has been recalled for the ODI series after being ignored for the Champions Trophy while five players are likely to debut in T20Is and ODIs are part of the squad. All-rounder Irfan Khan Niazi has been picked in both the squads after being left out in the Champions Trophy squad.
\nAs per the interim head coach Aqib Javed, the decision to appoint Salman and Shadab as T20I captain and vice-captain, respectively, has been made with an eye on two major upcoming tournaments \u2013 the ACC Men\u2019s T20 Asia Cup 2025 (September 2025) and the ICC Men\u2019s T20 World Cup 2026 (February\/March 2026). Salman previously led Pakistan in a T20I series against Zimbabwe last year, winning 2-1.
\nAs part of preparations for the ICC Men\u2019s T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan is set to play a minimum of five T20Is in the ACC Asia Cup 2025 and three T20Is each against West Indies (away, July), Afghanistan (home, August), Ireland (home, September), South Africa (home, September\/October), Sri Lanka (home, November) and Australia (home, January 2026).
\nMohammad Rizwan will continue leading the ODI side as Pakistan builds towards the ICC Men\u2019s 50-over Cricket World Cup 2027, which will take place in Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe in October\/November 2027.
\nT20I squad \u2013 Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan.<\/p>\n
ODI squad \u2013 Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sufyan Moqim and Tayyab Tahir. A wicketkeeper\/batter will be added to the ODI squad following the T20Is
\nIn the T20I squad, there are three uncapped players \u2013 Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Ali \u2013 while Akif Javed and Mohammad Ali the two players who have yet to debut in ODIs. The four players have been rewarded for their impressive performances in the Champions One-Day and T20 Cups.
\nIn the Champions T20 Cup, Abdul Samad scored 115 runs at a strike-rate of 166.67 after aggregating 145 runs at a strike-rate of 122.88 in the Champions One-Day Cup. Likewise, Hasan Nawaz had a staller Champions T20 Cup, finishing as the second leading run-getter with 312 runs at a strike-rate of 142.47. Mohammad Ali with 22 wickets was the leading wicket-taker in Champions T20 Cup, while he took three wickets in the Champions One-Day Cup.
\nAkif Javed has been selected in the ODI side after his seven wickets in five Champions One-Day Cup matches, while he took 15 wickets in the Champions T20 Cup.
\nOpeners Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were not considered for either format on medical advice. Fakhar suffered a left lower intercostal muscle sprain during Pakistan\u2019s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand, while Saim is recovering from a right ankle fracture sustained on the first day of the Cape Town Test against South Africa in January. Both are expected to be fully fit for the HBL Pakistan Super League 10, starting in Rawalpindi on 11 April 2025.
\nAqib Javed will continue as interim head coach for the New Zealand tour. His original term was until the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, but he has been asked to extend his tenure while the search for a permanent head coach begins. Mohammad Yousuf has been appointed as batting coach.
\nPlayer Support Personnel \u2013 Naveed Akram Cheema (team manager), Aqib Javed (interim head coach), Azhar Mahmood (assistant coach), Mohammad Yousuf (batting coach), Mohammad Masroor (fielding coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saiman (strength and conditioning coach), Talha Butt (analyst), Irtiza Komail (security manager), Dr Wajid Ali Rafai (team doctor), Syed Naeem Ahmad (media and digital manager) and Sergio Basil Mullins (masseur).
\nNew Zealand tour schedule:
\n16 Mar \u2013 first T20I, Hagley Oval, Christchurch
\n18 Mar \u2013 second T20I, University Oval, Dunedin
\n21 Mar \u2013 third T20I, Eden Park, Auckland
\n23 Mar \u2013 fourth T20I, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
\n26 Mar \u2013 fifth T20I, Sky Stadium, Wellington
\n29 Mar \u2013 first ODI, McLean Park, Napier
\n2 Apr \u2013 second ODI, Seddon Park, Hamilton
\n5 Apr \u2013 third ODI, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE, Mar 04 : The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday appointed all-rounder Salman Ali Agha captain of the Pakistan Men\u2019s T20I squad with Shadab Khan as his deputy in a new look New Zealand bound squad selected for the five-match T20I series in New […]<\/p>\n
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