Rizwan To Lead; Babar Azam In, Shadab Khan Out: Pakistan’s Probable Squads For Australia Series

As Pakistan prepares to face Australia in a six-match white-ball series, significant changes are expected in the team’s composition.

Captaincy Change:

  • Mohammad Rizwan is poised to take over the reins from Babar Azam as the new captain for both ODI and T20I formats. Rizwan’s strong leadership skills and consistent performances have made him a frontrunner for the role.

Squad Overhaul:

  • Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, and Iftikhar Ahmed are likely to be dropped from the squad due to inconsistent form and fitness concerns.
  • Emerging talents like Sufiyaan Muqeem, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam, Qasim Akram, Arafat Minhas, and Yasir Khan are set to get opportunities in the ODI and T20I squads.

Return of Key Players:

  • Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah are expected to return to the team after being rested for the recent Test series against Bangladesh.

Probable Squads:

  • ODI Squad: Mohammad Rizwan (C/WK), Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Saud Shakeel, Kamran Ghulam, Agha Salman, Qasim Akram, Mehran Mumtaz, Sufiyan Muqeem, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Usama Mir
  • T20I Squad: Usman Khan, Yasir Khan, Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (C/WK), Babar Azam, Arafat Minhas, Qasim Akram, Mehran Mumtaz, Sufiyan Muqeem, Shaheen Afridi, Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan, Aamir Jamal

These changes reflect Pakistan’s determination to revamp their white-ball setup and compete effectively at the highest level.