Star players Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi have made their return to Pakistan”s T20 International squad for the forthcoming home series against Australia, following their absence from the recent three-match tour of Sri Lanka.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday revealed the 16-member team, which will be led by Salman Ali Agha, for the three-match contest scheduled to be played entirely at the Gaddafi Stadium.
Shadab Khan retains his place in the side, continuing his comeback, and will feature in a formidable spin-bowling department alongside Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, and Usman Tariq.
The series marks a notable occasion, as it will be Australia”s second-ever T20I series on Pakistani soil. Their previous visit for the format was for a single match in April 2022, also held at the Lahore venue.
The national squad and its support personnel are scheduled to gather in the city on Saturday, 24 January, with training preparations set to commence the subsequent day. The Australian contingent is expected to arrive on Wednesday, 28 January, ahead of the series opener.
The complete 16-player squad is as follows: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), and Usman Tariq.
Player support personnel for the series include: Naveed Akram Cheema (team manager), Mike Hesson (head coach), Ashley Noffke (bowling coach), Shane McDermott (fielding coach), Hanif Malik (batting coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Grant Luden (strength and conditioning coach), Talha Ejaz (performance analyst), Syed Naeem Ahmed (media manager), Lt. Col. (r) Usman Anwari (security manager), Dr Wajid Ali Rafai (team doctor), Dr Raheel Karim (psychiatrist), and Muhammad Ehsan (masseur).
All three matches will begin at 4pm PKT. The series schedule is:
1st T20I – Thursday, 29 January
2nd T20I – Saturday, 31 January
3rd T20I – Sunday, 1 February