PAK vs NZ: Babar Azam dropped, Salman Ali Agha the captain as PCB unveil Pakistan's squad for the New Zealand series
Pakistan's Cricket governing body, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday, 4th of March, unveiled the squad of the Men's National Team for the upcoming home white-ball series versus New Zealand, set to commence from the 16th of March.
The bilateral event will consist of five T20 international games and three One Day International matches, starting from the 16th March and culminating on the 5th of April.
Batting All-Rounder Salman Ali Agha has been appointed as the captain of Pakistan's T20 International team for the five-match series versus the Kiwis, scheduled to take place between March 16 to March 26. Shadab Khan will serve as his deputy.
Wicketkeeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan will continue handling the leadership duties of the team in One Day Cricket while Salman Ali Agha will be the vice-captain for the three-match ODI series against the Black Caps, which commences from the 29th of March and ends on the 5th of April.
The decision to appoint the duo of Salma Ali Agha & Shadab Khan as the captain and vice-captain of the T20i side has been taken with an eye on two major forthcoming International tournaments: The Men's Asia Cup 2025 (September 2025) and the ICC Men's T20i World Cup (February to March 2026).
The 31-year-old batting all-rounder previously captained the National team in the T20 International series versus Zimbabwe in 2024, where he helped the Shaheens secure a 2-1 series win. As part of their preparations for next year's mega event, the 2026 T20 World Cup, the two-time runners-up will take part in at least five T20 International matches in the Asia Cup 2025
Additionally, they will also play a three-match T20 International series against the Windies (July), Afghanistan (August), Ireland (September), Sri Lanka (November), South Africa (September - October) and Australia (January 2026)
Wicketkeeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan will continue captaining the ODI team as the Green Shirts prepare to participate in the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2027, which will be played in the African nations of South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
Aqib Javed will continue as the interim head coach for the series against New Zealand. His initial tenure as the head coach was slated to last until the conclusion of the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025, but his coaching duties have been extended until PCB finds a permanent option. Mohammad Yousuf, on the other hand, has been appointed as the batting coach of the National Team.
Pakistan's tour of New Zealand 2025: Pakistan's T20i and ODI squad
Pakistan's 16 member T20i squad versus New Zealand - Salman Ali Agha (Captain), Abrar Ahmed, Shadab Khan (Vice-Captain), Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz, Khushdil Shah, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Omair Bin Yousaf, Sufyan Moqim, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan.
Pakistan's 15 member ODI squad versus New Zealand: Mohammad Rizwan (Captain), Abrar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha (Vice-Captain), Akif Javed, Faheem Ashraf, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Khushdil Shah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Ali, Naseem Shah, Muhammed Irfan Khan, Tayyab Tahir and Sufyan Moqim.
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