Pakistan name squad for England and Ireland T20Is

Usman Mir and Zaman Khan have been left out for Pakistan’s forthcoming T20I series against Ireland and England, whereas Hasan Ali, who last played a T20I game back in 2022, has been recalled to the squad. Haris Rauf, who was injured during the Pak T20 League, has also made the cut. Willy all rounder Agha Salman has also returned to the squad. 

The squad, which was named in a press conference held by three selection panel members, also sees the comeback of Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan and Azam Khan, who missed out the last series against the Black Caps due to injuries. However, there is no certainty on the trio’s full recovery, with selector Wahab Riaz expressing careful optimism over their participation.

"Rizwan, Haris, Irfan and Azam are being assessed," he said. "There is a significant improvement in their fitness. They're part of the squad because we hope they will be fit for the Ireland series."

Pakistan’s squad mainly consolidates the lot announced for the home T20Is against the Kiwis, with Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir retaining their places. In spite of late speculation around the possible return of Aamer Jamal, the all rounder does not make the list, while the exclusion of hard hitting all rounder Mohammad Haris also continues. 

Hasan, who is currently playing for Warwickshire, had his selection ascribed by PCB more to his experience and International Cricket Council tournament pedigree rather than current form. Hasan did have an impressive PAK T20 League this year with the Karachi Kings, for whom he picked up 14 wickets at an economy rate of 8.26, but was still overlooked for the NZ series. 

His selection seems to be based around the trust in his ability beyond just numbers, and a chance to evaluate him in Ireland and England before this 18-man squad is reduced to 15 for the T20 World Cup. 

Pakistan begin the T20I leg against Ireland on May 10 before playing four games against the Three Lions.  The deadline to submit the final squad for the T20 World Cup is May 24. 

Pakistan squad for Ireland and England T20Is

Babar Azam (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan