Experienced but out of the form all-rounder Shahid Afridi and former skipper Shoaib Malik have been dropped from the One-day squad for the upcoming tour of India, as Pakistan cricket squad for ODI and Twenty20 events was announced here on Monday.
Six changes have been made to the ODI squad that lost 1-2 to Australia in the UAE in August and September. However, both Afridi and Shoaib retained their positions in Pakistan's Twenty20 squad, which also had six changes made to the team that went to Sri Lanka for the World Twenty20.
The 32-year-old Afridi captained Pakistan in their 2011 World Cup campaign, which ended in a semi-final defeat to India, but has been in poor form of late, managing just 76 runs and five wickets in his last 10 One-dayers. Apart from Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik, the players dropped from the ODI squad were left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, pacers Aizaz Cheema and Sohail Tanvir. Asad Shafiq was also left out because of his injury. They were replaced by Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Wahab Riaz, Umer Gul and Zulfiqar Babar. Younis and Gul were making comebacks after being axed for the series against Australia. Fast bowler Wahab Riaz has taken his place in the squad after last playing in the Asia Cup in March, while batsman Sohail and left-arm spinner Babar received their maiden call-ups to the ODI squad.
Pakistan lost the World Twenty20 semi-final to Sri Lanka and from that squad all rounders Abdul Razzaq and Yasir Arafat and opening batsman Imran Nazir were axed. Shafiq and left-arm spinner Raza Hasan were injured. Fast bowler Junaid Khan, who was a surprising omission from the World T20 campaign, returned to the squad and Ahmed Shehzad, Babar, Asad Ali, Mohammad Irfan and Umar Amin were the other inclusions. Pakistan is scheduled to play two Twenty20 internationals and three ODIs in India from December 25, 2012 to January 6, 2013.
Pakistan fly to New Delhi on December 22 and play the first Twenty20 match in Bangalore on December 25. The second Twenty20 match will be played in Ahmedabad on December 27 followed by One-day matches in Chennai (December 30), Kolkata (January 3) and Delhi (January 6).
ODI squad: Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Haris Sohail, Kamran Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Umar Gul, Imran Farhat, Umar Akmal, Anwar Ali, Zulfiqar Babar.
Twenty20 squad: Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Umar Amin, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Asad Ali, Zulfiqar Babar, Ahmed Shehzad.