Pakistan cricket team is reportedly set to welcome back two experienced campaigners for their upcoming series against South Africa.
The pair were not part of the team currently playing in Australia but will be given another go in the side during the tour of South Africa in December.
The duo’s return to the team is also unexpected as they were recently left out of PCB’s central contracts list.
Despite all that, Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq will reportedly return to the Pakistan white-ball team against South Africa next month.
Imam, known for his steady performances, has amassed an impressive ODI average of 48.27 over 72 matches, with his last outing in the format being against South Africa in the 2023 World Cup.
Fakhar Zaman’s return, meanwhile, follows a controversial period that saw him left out of recent squads after a tweet supporting captain Babar Azam, who had been omitted from the second and third Tests against England.
Despite Pakistan securing a 2-1 series win, Zaman’s outspoken support for Babar led to a show-cause notice and his omission from both the Australia white-ball series and the newly announced central contract.
As far as the question of who will they replace, the answer seems to be in their batting positions. The most likeliest casualties are Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique who are failing to make an impact with the bat in Australia thus far but do have another series against Zimbabwe to change the selector’s minds.
The South Africa and Pakistan series will kick off with a T20I on December 10th.