Afridi back for T20Is, Nawaz earns maiden ODI call-up for West Indies series

Uncapped batter Hasan Nawaz has been handed his maiden ODI call-up as Pakistan announced a 16-member squad for their upcoming three-match series against West Indies. Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi has also returned to the T20I squad; the fast bowler has also been named in the ODI squad.

The 22-year-old Nawaz has had an eventful, contrasting start to his international career, scoring consecutive ducks in his first two T20Is against New Zealand in March. He followed it up with the fastest T20I hundred by a Pakistani in his third international outing. Those wild oscillations in fortunes have continued, though the explosiveness of his highs has made him an integral part of Pakistan's T20I side. Runs against Bangladesh in each of the three T20Is at home were followed up by two ducks in the corresponding series that ended earlier this week.

Hasan Ali, meanwhile, returns to the T20I squad. He did not feature in Pakistan's series in Bangladesh after a successful home series against the side, with the fast bowler playing in the T20 Blast with the Birmingham Bears. He has also been included in the ODI squad, putting him in line for a first appearance in the format since the 2023 World Cup. Meanwhile, Salman Mirza and Abbas Afridi are among the players who played in Bangladesh axed, though Mohammad Nawaz and Hussain Talat keep their places in both squads.

The ODI series will be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago on August 8, 10, and 12.

Pakistan will also feature in a three-match T20I series against West Indies, set to take place on July 31, August 2 and 3 at the Central Broward Park and Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, USA.

Pakistan have, of late, found themselves deprioritising the ODI format in favour of T20I cricket. With the T20 World Cup just over six months away, the PCB has moved to ensure Pakistan play as much T20I cricket as possible as the team enters a new, transitional phase with their recently appointed white-ball coach Mike Hesson and captain Salman Ali Agha. In May, they scrapped the ODI leg of the home series against Bangladesh in favour of two additional T20Is, before scheduling issues meant those extra T20Is were scrapped after all. Last week, it was reported Pakistan favoured additional T20Is in place of the upcoming ODI series against West Indies, though the PCB did not officially confirm this.

As such, this series is the first time Hesson takes charge of Pakistan's ODI side. The side sees the return of Pakistan's most marketable cricketers, with Babar Azam, captain Mohammad Rizwan, and fast bowlers Afridi and Naseem Shah returning. Among them, only Afridi, who was one of the standout performers in the recently-concluded PSL - where he led his side Lahore Qalandars to their third title - forces his way back into the T20 squad.

The team will arrive in the USA on July 27, following the conclusion of their T20I series in Bangladesh.

T20I squad: Salman Ali Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufyan Moqim

ODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (capt), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufyan Moqim