Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the national squad for the away tour of Ireland and England. Babar Azam will lead the 18-member squad after his re-appointment as the skipper of Pakistan’s white-ball side following the PCB’s decision to remove Shaheen Shah Afridi from captaincy.
The series has huge significance as the Pakistan team will prepare away from home and is set to play in two international series before the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which is scheduled to be held next month.
As expected, the likes of Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Usman Khan, and Fakhar Zaman have been included in the squad while Salman Ali Agha also earned a call-up.
Surprisingly, there was no place for Zaman Khan and Mohammad Wasim Jr. in the squad while Hasan Ali has been included once again.
On the other hand, Haris Rauf has made the squad following his recovery from a shoulder injury that he sustained during the Karachi vs Lahore encounter in PSL 9.
Multan Sultans fast bowler Muhammad Abbas Afridi and Karachi Kings batter Irfan Khan Niazi have also made it into the 18-member squad.
The tour will see Pakistan taking on Ireland in three matches in the first week of May, followed by four T20 matches against England in the last week of the month, with the series culminating on May 30.
Here is the 18-man squad:
| Babar Azam (c) | Mohammad Rizwan (VC) | Fakhar Zaman | Saim Ayub | Azam Khan | Iftikhar Ahmed |
| Salman Ali Agha | Usman Khan | Irfan Khan Niazi | Imad Wasim | Shadab Khan | Abrar Ahmed |
| Abbas Afridi | Mohammad Amir | Shaheen Afridi | Naseem Shah | Haris Rauf | Hasan Ali |
