Masood, Sohail back in Pakistan squad for T20I series against New Zealand
Left-handed batsmen Shan Masood and Haris Sohail have returned to Pakistan’s squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand next week. Masood has not played an ODI since 2019 against Australia, while Sohail played his last match against Zimbabwe in 2020. Interim chief selector Shahid Afridi said he wanted Pakistan to utilize the maximum number of 11 ODIs ahead of the Asia Cup and World Cup this year. In this, Masood and Sohail can be useful in the top order.
The three-match series will begin on Monday. Sohail has scored a lot of runs in domestic cricket of late while Masood has been consistent since making his T20 debut for Pakistan in September. Wrist spinner Usman Mir, along with new batsmen Tyeb Tahir and Kamran Ghulam, were picked after impressive performances in the domestic matches. The selectors included fast bowler Haris Rauf and opener Fakhar Zaman after recovering from injury.
Fast bowler Shaheen Afridi and all-rounder Shadab Khan could not make it to the team due to injuries. Pakistan Squad: Babar Azam (Captain), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Agha Salman, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood , Tayyab Tahir and Usama Mir.
