KARACHI: Pakistan on Thursday named uncapped Azam Khan, son of former captain Moin Khan, in the T20 squad for the tours of England and West Indies.
The selectors also recalled Imad Wasim for the three T20 matches in
England and five in the West Indies besides Haris Sohail for the three ODIs in England. Pace bowlers Muhammad Abbas and Naseem Shah have also won back spots in the Test squad that will play two games against the West Indies in Jamaica.
Both Abbas and Naseem were ignored for the recent two Tests played in Zimbabwe. Azam, 22, was the surprise pick for the coming twin tours as he has played just a single first class match and 36 T20 matches but has gained fame for his six hitting prowess. He has appeared in the Pakistan Super League and Sri Lanka Premier League evens.
The selectors have also kept the seasoned leg-spinner Yasir Shah for the two Tests but his final selection is subject to his passing a fitness test as he was also overlooked for the Zimbabwe tour because of a knee injury. Pakistan have also dropped pacer Tabish Khan after awarding him a Test cap in Zimbabwe. He is the only casualty from the Zimbabwe tour.
Pakistan will play three ODIs and as many T20Is in England from July 8-20, before taking on world champions West Indies in five T20s that will be followed by two Tests.
Chief selector Muhammad Wasim said they tried to remain consistent in their selection.
“This is an extremely important and critical tour for Pakistan as we will be playing the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs against England as well as the T20Is against England and the West Indies as part of our preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. “The Jamaica Test will count towards the ICC World Test Championship,” he said. “…In consultation with captain Babar Azam and head Misbah-ul-Haq, we have tried our best to maintain the winning combinations but at the same time recalled four experienced players and rewarded uncapped Azam Khan for his domestic performance, while also giving him the required confidence for the future challenges.”
—PTI

Press Trust of India