Shadab Khan will serve as captain for the Sharjah visit when Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) names a 15-member squad for the forthcoming T20I series against Afghanistan.
PCB chief Najam Sethi stated that young players who had excelled in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 will be given the opportunity in the series and that he had taken the senior players Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi into confidence over the plan of attack prior to the team’s announcement.
Sethi congratulated Shadab on being chosen as the captain of the Pakistani team for the series against Afghanistan in a press release that was released separately.
Shadab Khan has served as Pakistan’s vice-captain in white-ball cricket for a number of years, so it makes sense that, in Babar Azam’s absence, he will serve as the team’s captain for the quick trip to Sharjah for three T20I matches.
For the brief Sharjah tour and to “maintain consistency,” Mohammad Yousuf has been named interim head coach and batting coach, according to PCB chief.
Yousuf has worked at the National High-Performance Center and with the national team as a hitting instructor since last year.
Chief Selector Haroon Rasheed explained the rationale for resting the senior players, stating that they have adhered to the standard rotation policy by giving high-performing domestic performers the chance to showcase their talent and potential on the international stage while resting the top players.
According to him, by doing this, the board will be able to evaluate the personalities and abilities of the players and expand its player pool in anticipation of the T20 World Cup that will be held in the West Indies and the United States the following year.
Babar, Fakhar, Haris, Rizwan, and Shaheen have been given breaks from the brief Sharjah trip to enable them to disconnect from competitive cricket in order to complete their rehabilitations, regroup, recompose, and recharge their batteries and be fully fit for the challenges in the difficult and challenging 2023–24 season.
Squad
Iftikhar Ahmed (Quetta Gladiators), Mohammad Haris (Peshawar Zalmi), Mohammad Nawaz (Quetta Gladiators), Mohammad Wasim (Karachi Kings), Mohammad Wasim Junior (Islamabad United), Naseem Shah (Quetta Gladiators), Saim Ayub (Peshawar Zalmi), Shan Masood (Multan Sultans), Tayyab Tahir (Kar (Lahore Qalandars)
Islamabad United’s Abrar Ahmed, Peshawar Zalmi’s Haseebullah, and Usama Mir are the reserves (Multan Sultans)
