(Reuters) – Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were named in Pakistan’s one-day international and Twenty20 squads for next month’s tour of Australia, with the country’s cricket board expected to name a new captain later on Sunday.
Babar stepped down as skipper in all three formats last year after Pakistan failed to make the knockout stage of the 50-overs World Cup, before returning as white-ball captain in March for the T20 World Cup where the team did not make the Super Eight.
The batting mainstay as well as pace bowler Afridi were left out of Pakistan’s last two tests against England, and the team wrapped up a 2-1 series win on Saturday.
The trio will not feature in the matches against Zimbabwe which follow the Australian series, however, as they will be rested.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan will be available for the Australia games and the Zimbabwe ODIs, but will be rested for the T20s.
Pakistan play three ODIs and three T20Is against both Australia and Zimbabwe. The Australia tour runs from Nov. 4-18, and the matches in Bulawayo will be played from Nov. 24-Dec. 5.
Rizwan is a leading contender for the captaincy along with Salman Ali Agha, local media reported.
Pakistan squads:
Australia tour:
ODIs: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi.
T20Is: Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan.
Zimbabwe tour:
ODIs: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani and Tayyab Tahir.
T20Is: Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
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