LAHORE: Pakistan cricket selectors, headed by former Test captain Inzamamul Haq, on Tuesday recalled all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez to a 16-member squad named for a three-match Twenty20 international series against Sri Lanka, which will be played in Abu Dhabi and Lahore. Pakistan are currently engaged in a five-match ODI series against the Islanders where the hosts are 2-0 up with the third match on Wednesday (today). Hafeez had been omitted from the squad that played Pakistan’s previous T20I assignment: the home series against the World XI. He has been a part of Pakistan’s squad for the ongoing ODIs against Sri Lanka.
“Hafeez has returned to the T20 squad and is replacing Sohail Khan who was part of the squad during the World XI’s tour to Pakistan. Pacer Mohammad Amir who, suffered an injury during the Test series, is a part of the squad but subject to improvement in fitness,” said a spokesman for the PCB. Sohail played two matches against the World XI taking three wickets collectively (2-28 and 1-44) which seems not enough to impress the selection committee.
Amir is recovering from a stress-related injury of his right shin. He had first shown signs of the injury during the second Test against Sri Lanka in the first week of October, and a subsequent MRI scan revealed the injury to his right shin and he was advised two to three weeks rest. Umar Amin, Faheem Ashraf and Aamer Yamin, among the players brought in for the World XI series, retain their spots. Pakistan won that series – a landmark one which mark the return of top-flight cricket to Pakistan for the first time since March 2009 – by two games to one. The first two T20Is will be played on Oct 26, 27 before the teams move to Lahore to play the much-anticipated final game on Oct 29.
The PCB has also put the tickets of seven enclosures of the Gaddafi Stadium on sale, with prices ranging from Rs.1500 to Rs.5000. Despite the fact that Sri Lankan Cricket has officially confirmed it will send its team for the match, certain important players including skipper Upul Tharanga and Lasith Malinga are likely to miss the game due to security reasons.
Squad:
Sarfraz Ahmed (captain)(wk), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shahzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Muhammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Muhammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Amir Yamin, Muhammad Amir (Subject to fitness clearance), Rumman Raees, Usman Shinwari and Umar Amin.
Published in Daily Times, October 18th 2017.