Uncapped Asif Afridi, Mohammad Haris named in Pakistan squads for white-ball series against Australia

Uncapped Asif Afridi and Mohammad Haris have been named in the Pakistan squads for the white-ball series against Australia. Pakistan will take on Australia in three ODIs and a one-off T20I from March 29 to April 5, with all the games to be played in Rawalpindi.

Left-arm spinner Asif and wicketkeeper-batter Haris have been chosen following their impressive performances in domestic cricket. In the recently-concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL), Asif claimed eight wickets in five matches for Multan Sultans. Haris, meanwhile, smashed 166 runs in five matches at a strike-rate of 186.5 for Peshawar Zalmi.

In the ongoing Pakistan Cup, Haris has notched up 219 runs in seven matches at an average of nearly 44 for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Asif has claimed eight wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 4.39.

Haris was earlier named in Pakistan’s squad for the home series against New Zealand. However, the series had to be canceled as the Kiwis abandoned the tour citing security concerns.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Nawaz has been picked in the side for both the ODI and T20I matches. However, his selection will be subject to fitness. The selectors have picked 20 players for the ODIs and 17 players for the one-off T20I. Abdullah Shafique, Imam-Ul-Haq and Saud Shakeel have been left out of the T20 squad.

Speaking about the squads, the chairman of selectors Muhammad Wasim congratulated Asif and Haris on their inclusions, saying:

“This is a reward for their hard work and consistent performances in the domestic circuit. Their selections are also a message for all domestic players that their performances are being followed and whenever an opportunity arises, they will be rewarded with a national team call-up.”

The white-ball players will gather in Lahore on March 22. The cricketers will undergo a three-day room isolation after which they will be integrated with the national team.

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Pakistan's white-ball squads for Australia series

ODI squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-Ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir

T20I squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir