March 4, 2025: In a significant shake-up, Pakistan has dropped premier batter Babar Azam and captain Mohammad Rizwan from the squad for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand. As a result, Salman Ali Agha has been named Pakistan’s new T20I captain, with Shadab Khan appointed as his deputy.
Despite the change in the T20I format, Rizwan will continue to lead Pakistan in the ODIs. However, pace spearheads Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf have also been left out of the ODI squad for this series.
The drastic squad changes come after Pakistan’s disappointing title defense in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy, where they were knocked out in the group stage, failing to defend their crown on home soil. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has stated that these changes are part of their preparation for the upcoming ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with a focus on building a strong squad for these key tournaments.
Salman Ali Agha, who previously led Pakistan to a T20I series win against Zimbabwe last year, will now take charge of the T20I squad. New faces like Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz, and Mohammad Ali have been added to the T20I squad, while Akif Javed and Mohammad Ali also make their way into the ODI lineup.
Pakistan’s explosive opening duo, Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub, were ruled out of both formats due to injury. Fakhar is recovering from a muscle sprain, while Ayub is healing from an ankle fracture. Both players are expected to be fit in time for the Pakistan Super League 10 starting in April.
Aqib Javed will continue as interim head coach for the New Zealand tour, extending his tenure while the PCB searches for a permanent head coach. Mohammad Yousuf has also been added to the management as the new batting coach.
The five-match T20I series against New Zealand will take place from March 16 to 26, followed by three ODIs starting March 29.
T20I Squad:
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousaf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan
ODI Squad:
Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir