PCB announce T20I squad for Australia series

Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named a 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

The matches will take place on January 29, 31 and February 1 and will begin at 4pm.

Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi have returned to the T20I squad after missing the three-match away series against Sri Lanka in January.

Shadab Khan will continue to build on his comeback in the previous T20I series and will form part of a strong spin-bowling contingent along with Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Tariq.

Pakistan squad and player support personnel are expected to convene in Lahore on Saturday and will begin their preparations for the series the following day.

Pakistan 16-member squad includes Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicket-keeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicket-keeper) and Usman Tariq.

Australia are set to arrive in Pakistan on January 28 and will play just their second series in the format on Pakistan soil after a solitary T20I in April 2022 at Gaddafi Stadium.