NZ vs Pak: Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Amir dropped from 35-man Pakistan squad for New Zealand tour
Pakistan have named a 35-man squad to be led by newly appointed Test captain Babar Azam for their upcoming tour of New Zealand.
There was no place in the squad for veterans Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Amir and Shoaib Malik, with a number of younger players getting the nod instead as the Men in Green opt to focus on a long-term approach.
Pakistan will play three T20s and two Test matches in New Zealand, and the series will be Babar Azam's first since taking over as captain of the team for all formats.
Wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan has been named vice-captain for the Test matches, while 22-year-old all-rounder Shadab Khan will be Azam's deputy during the T20 leg of the bilateral series.
Pakistan name young squad for NZ tour
The Pakistan squad features a talented core of young players, led by fast bowlers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi. A number of uncapped players have also been included in the squad, including batsmen Danish Aziz and Imran Butt, wicket-keeper Rohail Nazir, and pacer Amad Butt.
Pakistan head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq said that the team was selected with a view towards giving younger players a chance to impress.
Pakistan are just coming off a hard-fought series win at home against Zimbabwe. The Babar Azam-led team won the ODI series 2-1, before completing a 3-0 sweep in the T20 series.
Babar Azam was the leading scorer in both series, and will now be aiming to lead Pakistan to victory against a much superior opponent.
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Abid Ali, Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Zeeshan Malik, Azhar Ali, Danish Aziz, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Haris Sohail, Hussain Talat, Imran Butt, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan, Rohail Nazir, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir, Yasir Shah, Zafar Gohar, Amad Butt, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz