Pakistan recall Afridi to one-day squad

Islamabad - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 16-man squad for the upcoming One-day International (ODI) series against South Africa, recalling all-rounder Shahid Afridi back in the team.

The 32-year-old, famous for his big hitting, was dropped from the team that visited India in December last year due to his continued poor performance with both bat and ball, reports Xinhua.

“We thought that the team needed a spinner to back Saeed Ajmal in the One-day series and this could be Afridi’s last chance to prove his credentials and he has to perform,” PCB chief selector Iqbal Qasim told a press conference in Lahore Wednesday night.

The PCB selection committee retained Misbah ul Haq as captain for the five-match series starting next month, with the first match at Bloemfontein March 10.

Besides the announcement of the ODI team, the PCB also named a 15-member squad for two Twenty20 International matches scheduled to be held March 1 and 3.

Middle-order batsman Umar Akmal and fast bowler Wahab Riaz were selected for both Twenty20s and ODIs formats after their performance in domestic games.

The squads:

T20 Squad: Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shahzad, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Zulfiqar Babar, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Mohammad Irfan,Umer Amin and Asad Ali.

ODI Squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman,, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Mohammad Irfan, Imran Farhat.