Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi Make Comeback to Pakistan Squad for Australia Series
Despite facing challenges in the Big Bash League, star players Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi are back in Pakistan’s 16-man squad for the three-match series against Australia starting January 29. Both players missed the recent series against Sri Lanka, which ended in a draw, as they were participating in the BBL.
Shaheen’s time in the Big Bash League was cut short due to a knee ligament injury he sustained in December. He returned home as a safety measure before the T20 World Cup in February. In his four matches, he took four wickets and gave away 153 runs, with an average of 76.5.
On the other hand, Babar also had a tough time with the Sydney Sixers, accumulating 202 runs in 11 games at a strike rate of 103.06. This was the lowest strike rate for any player scoring over 200 runs in a BBL season. In a notable incident, Steve Smith denied him a single, which led to some on-field tension. Despite their differences, they reconciled later on, but former player Mark Waugh suggested the Sixers should consider dropping Babar, just before he was called back by Pakistan.
Interestingly, Haris Rauf, the leading wicket-taker in the BBL with 20 wickets, was not included in the squad for the series against Australia.
Khawaja Nafay, who impressed during the Sri Lanka tour, will be the wicket-keeper. The spin department will feature Usman Tariq, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, and Abrar Ahmed, while pace support for Shaheen will come from Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, and Naseem Shah.
Salman Ali Agha will captain the side, and this series will serve as important preparation for both teams as they gear up for the T20 World Cup.
Pakistan’s Squad for the Australia Series:
- Salman Ali Agha (c)
- Abrar Ahmed
- Babar Azam
- Faheem Ashraf
- Fakhar Zaman
- Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk)
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Mohammad Salman Mirza
- Mohammad Wasim Jnr
- Naseem Shah
- Sahibzada Farhan (wk)
- Saim Ayub
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Shadab Khan
- Usman Khan (wk)
- Usman Tariq
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