Salman Ali Agha was named Pakistan’s new T20I captain on Tuesday after the national selection committee decided to axe Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for the New Zealand series.
On the ODI front, Rizwan remained the captain, while Shaheen Afridi was dropped.
Following Pakistan’s abysmal performance in the Champions Trophy, the Aaqib Javed-led selection committee decided to pick a young T20I squad, keeping in mind two major upcoming tournaments, the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 (scheduled to take place in September 2025) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (scheduled to take place in February-March next year).
“We wanted to pick a young team, which will be able to adjust to the ever-evolving nature of T20s and play fearless cricket. Since there will be quite a few big events lined up, we wanted to build a new team under the captaincy of Salman,” Javed said.
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For the T20Is, Pakistan has named three uncapped players – Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Ali. Opening batters Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman have not been selected for both the ODI and T20I series against New Zealand due to injuries. However, both are expected to be fully fit for the Pakistan Super League, beginning on April 11.
Agha, too, was excited about his new role. “It’s an honour to captain Pakistan. I’m excited for the challenge ahead. We have big tournaments coming up, and our focus is on performing well in the World Cup,” Agha said.
While he regretted missing out on a knockout spot in the Champions Trophy, Agha made it clear that his team will aim for fearless cricket. “We have to look ahead and prepare for what’s next,” he said.
Pakistan will begin the five-match T20I series against the Kiwis on March 16.
Squads
T20: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan, Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousaf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan.
ODI: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sufyan Moqim and Tayyab Tahir. (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru Editing by Christian Radnedge)
FIXTURES
Mar 16 – first T20I, Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Mar 18 – second T20I, University Oval, Dunedin
Mar 21 – third T20I, Eden Park, Auckland
Mar 23 – fourth T20I, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
Mar 26 – fifth T20I, Sky Stadium, Wellington
Mar 29 – first ODI, McLean Park, Napier
Apr 2 – second ODI, Seddon Park, Hamilton
Apr 5 – third ODI, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
