Shaheen Shah Afridi returns, Babar Azam to lead as Pakistan announce 16-man squads for limited-overs series against New Zealand

Pakistan's pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi has returned to the limited-overs squads to face New Zealand on home soil. Babar Azam and Shadab Khan have kept their roles as captain and vice-captain, respectively, as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a 16-member squad for ODIs and T20Is.

Afridi missed the three-Test and two-Test series against England and New Zealand after the T20 World Cup 2022 as he underwent rehabilitation following a knee injury in the final of the tournament.

The 22-year-old had a stellar PSL 8 in what ended as a second successive title for the Lahore Qalandars. The Qalandars' captain finished with 19 scalps in 12 games at 21.15. He also smashed 133 runs at a strike rate of 168.35.

The likes of Babar, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, and Haris Rauf have returned to face the Kiwis after missing the three-game T20I series against Afghanistan. Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub and Zaman Khan have been retained in the T20I squad following their promising performances against Afghanistan. Ihsanullah is also the only uncapped player in the ODI squad.

The PCB announced a schedule change today, with Karachi set to host the last three ODIs as earlier they were to stage four 50-over games. The squad will assemble on April 6th in Lahore, where a training camp will commence the next day ahead of the first T20I on April 14.

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Pakistan's T20I squad to face New Zealand:

Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, and Zaman Khan.

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Pakistan's ODI squad:

Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, and Usama Mir.

The hosts will be keen to clinch both the series after losing the ODI series earlier this year to the Kiwis. With Kane Williamson injured after participating in IPL 2023, Tom Latham will lead the tourists in both ODIs and T20Is.