ISLAMABAD, Dec 19 (AP): Pakistan named several uncapped players and recalled opening batter Sahibzada Farhan for the first time in five years for the five-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand.
The 27-year-old Farhan scored 40 runs in three Twenty20s for Pakistan in 2018 but has been out of the selectors’ favor since. The right-handed middle-order batter forced his way back into the national team after performing impressively in white-ball cricket over the last two domestic seasons as Pakistan aims to find the right combination in its middle-order batting for next year’s T20 World Cup.

In the recent National T20 Cup at Karachi, Farhan scored 492 runs in 12 matches for Peshawar, including one century and four half-centuries as he smashed 55 fours and 29 sixes during the tournament. Pakistan T20 vice-captain Shadab Khan will miss the tour because of an ankle injury he sustained during the National T20 Cup while selectors also rested wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris. Fast bowlers Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, and Ihsanullah, who all missed the 50-over World Cup in India, are still recovering from injuries and were not considered for selection.

Azam Khan, who has played five T20s for Pakistan, was among three wicketkeepers picked in the squad of 17 with Mohammad Rizwan and uncapped Haseebullah the other options. "Unfortunately Shadab twisted his ankle during the domestic season and he needs another two weeks of rehabilitation,” chief selector Wahab Riaz told reporters in Lahore on Tuesday. "We know what Haris is capable of doing in international cricket. He is part of our plans, but we wanted to expand our pool of players and that’s why we have rested him.”

Pakistan tried several batters like Khushdil Shah, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik and Faheem Ashraf in its middle-order over the years, but Riaz said none could make an impact that forced the selectors to give chance to top performers of domestic cricket like Farhan and Haseebullah. Squad: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan.