LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the squad for the upcoming tri-nation ODI series, involving New Zealand and South Africa, as well as the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
The PCB has until 11 February to make any changes to the squad; thereafter, replacements will only be permitted on medical grounds, subject to approval by the ICC Event Technical Committee.
There are four changes in the 15-player Pakistan squad that last played an ODI series in South Africa late last year.
Abdullah Shafique, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub and Sufyan Moqim have been replaced by Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah and Saud Shakeel.
The squad, to be captained by Mohammad Rizwan with Salman Ali Agha as vice-captain, includes three members from the 2017 title-winning side – Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf and Fakhar Zaman.
Babar and Fakhar, along with Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Saud Shakeel had also featured in the last 50-over ICC event – the ICC Men’s 50-over Cricket World Cup 2023.
Following the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, Pakistan has played three ODI series, defeating 50-over world champions Australia 2-1, Zimbabwe 2-1 and South Africa 3-0.
Top-order batter Fakhar Zaman, who scored a century in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final against India, makes a comeback after overcoming injury and illness that had sidelined him from international cricket since June 2024.
Fakhar demonstrated his return to complete fitness and form during the Champions T20 Cup 2024 in December, where he was the third-highest run-scorer with 303 runs at an impressive strike rate of over 132.
In 82 ODIs, Fakhar has scored 3,492 runs with 11 centuries and 16 half-centuries at an average of 46.5 and a strike rate of 93.4.
Pakistan Test vice-captain Saud Shakeel has been rewarded for his consistent and strong performances in home Tests by earning a place in the side.
The left-hander played his 15th and last ODI against England in Kolkata in the ICC Men’s 50-over World Cup 2023 but has scored 577 runs in 13 Test innings at home this season with two centuries and two half-centuries against Bangladesh, England and the West Indies
All-rounders Faheem Ashraf and Khushdil Shah were recalled to the 50-over squad, adding versatility and providing captain Mohammad Rizwan with additional options.
Faheem’s 34th and last ODI was in September 2023 and since then he has been one of the most consistent domestic performers across all formats, while Khushdil last represented Pakistan in ODIs in August 2022.
Khushdil has earned the selectors’ nod after scoring 176 runs in the Champions One-Day Cup as well as scoring 132 runs and taking nine wickets in the Champions T20 Cup.
“The selectors have continued to adopt a horses-for-courses approach in assembling this squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025,” said Asad Shafiq, a member of the National Selection Committee.
“Our focus has been on selecting players who have consistently excelled in domestic competitions under similar conditions, demonstrating their readiness to perform in a global event.
“One of the standout qualities of this side is its flexibility – an essential trait in today’s modern-day cricket.
“We are confident that this squad strikes the right balance between youth and experience, and has all bases covered. Each player has been chosen with a clear role in mind, ensuring the captain has versatile options at his disposal.”
The tri-nation ODI series will be played on a single-league basis from 8 to 14 February, with Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium hosting the opening two matches and Karachi’s National Bank Stadium staging the final league match and the final.
Meanwhile, the ICC Champions Trophy will kick off on 19 February with host and defending champions Pakistan taking on New Zealand in the curtain-raiser in Karachi’s National Bank Stadium.
Pakistan Squad for Tri-Nation series and ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Mohammad Rizwan (wk)(c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Saud Shakeel, Naseem Shah, Tayyab Tahir, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Kamran Ghulam, Muhammad Hasnain, Usman Khan, Haris Rauf.
Player support personnel: Naveed Akram Cheema (team manager), Hina Munawar (team operations manager), Aqib Javed (interim head coach), Azhar Mahmood (assistant coach), Shahid Aslam (batting coach), Mohammad Masroor (fielding coach), Abdul Rehman (spin bowling coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saiman (strength and conditioning coach), Talha Butt (analyst), Irtiza Komail (security manager), Dr Wajid Ali Rafai (team doctor), Syed Naeem Ahmad (media and digital manager) and Sergio Basil Mullins (masseur).
READ: PCB finalizes schedule for Champions Trophy opening ceremony: sources
