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HomeCricBlogSarfaraz, Fakhar and Amir in Pakistan's T20I squad

Sarfaraz, Fakhar and Amir in Pakistan’s T20I squad

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Last Updated on 4 years by Charbel Coorey

Pakistan have named their 17-man T20I squad for the upcoming three-match series against England. There are a few notable recalls in the squad, namely Sarfaraz Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Amir.

Sarfaraz Ahmed returns to the T20I squad for the first time after losing the captaincy last year. Fakhar Zaman, who scored 246 runs in PSL 2020 (fifth most among Pakistani players), is also back in the setup. As is Mohammad Amir, who will be out to win management over after they previously weren’t thrilled by his decision to retire from Test cricket.

Sarfaraz, Fakhar and Amir in Pakistan's T20I squad | Pakistan announce T20I squad to face England in three-match series | Pakistan squad
Fakhar Zaman is in Pakistan’s T20I squad

Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez, who were picked for the Bangladesh series in January 2020, have been retained. Coach Misbah-ul-Haq says this is the most settled Pakistan have looked in quite some time, after previously giving fringe players a chance to redeem themselves and impress. Players like Umar Akmal, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Irfan and Usman Qadir were given the chance to repay the faith, but have now been dropped.

Pakistan have also included youngsters Haider Ali and Naseem Shah, which excites coach Misbah.

“This is mostly the same team which has been featuring in the shortest format for us,” Misbah said. “Besides retaining the core, we have inducted youngsters like Haider Ali, who has performed well in the HBL PSL, U-19 and first-class cricket, and Naseem Shah as we had an opportunity to keep a bigger pool due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which also increases our options. Our two experienced bowlers in Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz have also returned to the side, along with Fakhar Zaman and Sarfaraz Ahmed.”

Also, Misbah stated that being in the COVID-19 bubble has allowed management to help with the development of players within the T20I squad, as they have had to arrive in England much earlier than they normally would.

“Usually, the T20I team comes together for a brief period but due to the current situation most of the players have been here with us for more than a month and it has provided us a good opportunity to work on the development of the team and the young players. So, even the players who might not get an opportunity to play will benefit from the experience they are getting here.

“It is going to be a competitive series as England are a strong side. We are looking forward to play good cricket and win the series.”

Babar Azam will lead the Pakistan side in the three-match series against England, which starts on August 28. They will be out to improve, after winning just three of 11 completed T20Is since the start of 2019. As a result, they have dropped from first to fourth in the T20I team rankings.

Pakistan T20I squad:

Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz

England vs Pakistan T20I series schedule:

  • 1st T20I: August 28, Old Trafford, Manchester
  • 2nd T20I: August 30, Old Trafford, Manchester
  • 3rd T20I: September 1, Old Trafford, Manchester

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Charbel Coorey
Charbel Cooreyhttps://cricblog.net
Charbel is the owner & founder of cricblog.net, based in Sydney, Australia. He started the website to fulfill his love for the game of cricket. Charbel has been featured on other publications including OP India, Times of India, and The Roar, among others. He is also a keen fantasy sports player. Charbel has also had the privilege of interviewing cricketers on the CricBlog TV YouTube channel, including James Neesham, Rassie van der Dussen, Andrew Tye, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat and Saurabh Netravalkar: https://www.youtube.com/@cricblogtv For any story tips or questions, you can contact Charbel at charbelcoorey@cricblog.net.

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