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Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi return to Pakistan's T20I squad vs Australia despite disappointing BBL; Haris Rauf dropped
Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi didn't play the series vs Sri Lanka but are back in the thick of things, while time has run out for Haris Rauf.
After a disappointing Big Bash League campaign saw him recalled to the Pakistan camp right before a key playoff game for Sydney Sixers, Babar Azam has marked his return to the T20I squad for Pakistan for the upcoming three-match series against Australia to be played in Lahore.
Babar has had a choppy time of it bouncing in and out of the squad in the shortest format, but does earn a spot for the three-match tie against the Aussies which will be the teams’ final preparation before the T20 World Cup beginning in India and Sri Lanka next month.
The top-order batter alongside star pacer Shaheen Afridi missed Pakistan’s most recent series, a three-match bout against Sri Lanka, given both were in Australia for BBL duties this past month. Shaheen left the tournament earlier after sustaining an injury, while Babar had a torrid time scoring only 202 runs in 11 innings at a mediocre strike-rate of 103 in the tournament.
Shaheen marks his return and will be a key player as one of the lead seamers alongside Naseem Shah. Meanwhile, Babar will look to make an impact after being dropped from the squad for last year’s Asia Cup, but being in the throes of some bad form, will need to use this series against Australia to make his case as a top order batter.
Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, and Fakhar Zaman provide alternative top order options to Pakistan.
No Haris Rauf for Pakistan
Amongst the names missing for Pakistan is seamer Haris Rauf, who stands to lose his spot in the T20 team as a whole after a run of bad form. Speaking to GeoNews recently, Haris had hinted at an awareness that he might be out of the picture for the squad at the World Cup, but didn’t let that daunt him: “Of course, there is disappointment, as I was not picked in the T20 World Cup squad. But my career won't end. I will keep working hard and focus more on my bowling.”
Pakistan’s three-match series will be a quick one against Australia, who are taking a young squad for this series as they too try to figure out the right combination. The series will begin on January 29, and will end on February 1, all three matches taking place in the span of 4 days.
Pakistan squad for T20I series vs Australia
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq
