Babar Azam left out of T20Is as Shaheen Afridi returns for Pakistan's West Indies tour

Lahore, July 25 (IANS) The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced squads for the upcoming white-ball tour of the West Indies, with two major headlines - the return of pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi to the T20I setup and the continued absence of former captain Babar Azam from the shortest format.

Afridi, who missed the recent Bangladesh series, has been recalled to bolster Pakistan’s pace attack for the three-match T20I series in Florida. The left-arm speedster joins fellow pacers Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali in a strong bowling lineup.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam, despite being named in the ODI squad, remains out of favour for T20Is as the selectors continue to back a younger core led by Agha Salman.

In the ODI setup, Mohammad Rizwan will take over the captaincy, with Agha Salman serving as vice-captain. Afridi, Naseem Shah and Abdullah Shafique also feature in the 50-over squad for the three-match series in Trinidad while experienced batter Fakhar Zaman retains his place across formats.

Notably, Salman Mirza and Ahmed Daniyal, who impressed during the Bangladesh series, have been left out of the T20I squad. Rising stars Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, and Sahibzada Farhan, alongside seasoned all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz, add depth to the T20I batting order.

The tour will feature six white-ball matches - three T20Is in Florida, followed by three ODIs in Trinidad.

Pakistan's T20I squad vs West Indies: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim.

Pakistan's ODI squad vs West Indies: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim.

--IANS

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