The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the T20 and ODI squad for the upcoming home series against New Zealand, scheduled to start on April 14 and be played across three stadiums. The squads include the return of Shaheen Shah Afridi along with other rested players Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan.
However, the team’s announcement received mixed reactions from Pakistani fans on Twitter. Some expressed disappointment at the exclusion of a relevant number six batsman from the ODI squad, while others questioned the decision to drop Azam Khan from the T20 squad. Many fans also wanted to see Khushdil Shah or Imad Wasim in the ODI squad instead of Shan Masood as they believe these players can help solve Pakistan’s lower order problems.
The T20I squad will feature Ihsanullah, Saeem Ayub and Zaman Khan, who impressed with their performances in Sharjah, while Ihsanullah was included in the ODI squad for the first time in his career. The team will gather in Lahore on April 6 for a training session ahead of the start of the series.
Who will play at number 6 for us in Odis? https://t.co/ezYiqL67Pz
— Zehra (@allaboutcrick74) April 4, 2023
Yeh Shan odi squad mai kiya kr rha?
What is the point of picking a lot of openers in T20s?
Azam deserved a longer run imo 🌝 https://t.co/GzTJPfpNZK
— Khabis Insan (@IamUmarJav) April 4, 2023
The more I look at the numbers and what the PCT requires, the more Shan’s presence in the ODI and T20I squad seems absurd and useless. Especially when you’ve removed Azam from T20Is and Mohammad Haris from ODIs. What are you even thinking?
— Shafkat Shabbir (@Chefkat23) April 4, 2023