Pakistan named the squad for the upcoming One Day Internationals and T20 fixtures against England, with the notable inclusion of flamboyant former captain Shahid Afridi, while the most conspicuous omission remains of Abdul Razzaq.
The Rawalpindi batsman, Awais Zia, is the latest addition to the T20 squad, which has a pretty familiar look from the one which demolished England in the Test series. Players such as Shoaib Malik and Sohail Tanvir were unsuccessful in claiming a place for themselves in the team, while all-rounder Abdur Razzaq has been omitted due to fitness concerns.
The Men in Green’s record at the United Arab Emirates has been outstanding so far; they have won a series against Sri Lanka, and recently defeated England 3-0, clean sweeping them in the Test series. The team morale is undoubtedly sky-high.
However, interim coach Mohsin Khan is not taking any chances, and has prepared the side to face a difficult battle in the upcoming series which is scheduled to commence next Monday. “England have a very strong and balanced combination both in bowling and batting,” Mohsin said. “In one-day and T20 too, they are a formidable team and I’m expecting tough opposition from them in the limited-over series.”
The English batsmen, who have been ranked amongst the best in Test matches, were unable to tackle the Pakistani spin bowlers. Keeping this in view, the Men in Green spinners, Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, are predicted to play a key role in the upcoming matches. Shahid Afridi returns for the limited overs, and this is sure to boost the team.
Earlier, England also made changes to their ODI line-up, omitting Ian Bell from the ODI squad, who was unimpressive in the recent Test series. Alastair Cook will captain the ODI squad, while Stuart Broad will be leading England’s T20 team.
The series is scheduled to kick-off with a warm up match between England XI against the England Lions, which will be followed by four ODIs (beginning on the 13th of February) and three T20 internationals (from 23rd to 27th February).
Misbah-ul-Haq will captain the Pakistan team in both formats.
ODI squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal (wk), Junaid Khan, Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Hammad Azam, Azhar Ali
Twenty20 squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal (wk), Junaid Khan, Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Hammad Azam, Awais Zia
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