The Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed that Mohammad Rizwan will retain his role as captain for the upcoming three-match One-Day International series against the West Indies in August. However, both Rizwan and star batter Babar Azam remain absent from the T20 squad.
Pakistan begins the tour with three T20 Internationals in Florida on July 31, followed by the ODI leg at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago starting August 8.
Rizwan’s leadership had come under scrutiny after Pakistan’s early exit from the Champions Trophy in March, compounded by a 3-0 series whitewash in New Zealand. Despite the pressure, the selectors have backed him for the Caribbean tour. The 16-man ODI squad includes just one uncapped player—Hassan Nawaz.
For the T20Is, Salman Agha will take the reins as captain. Several key names return to the T20 setup, including Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, and Shaheen Shah Afridi, all of whom were rested during the recent Bangladesh tour. That series ended in disappointment for Pakistan, who suffered their first-ever T20I series loss to Bangladesh, going down 2-1.
The selection panel is clearly drawing a line between the formats, keeping Rizwan and Babar reserved for ODIs while experimenting with newer and returning talent in T20s.
🏏 T20I Squad:
Salman Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem
🏏 ODI Squad:
Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem
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