On Thursday (October 23), Pakistan announced their white-ball squads for four upcoming series; three T20Is against South Africa, back-to-back three-ODI series against South Africa and Sri Lanka, and a T20I tri-series against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, all at home.
The most significant news is the return of star batter Babar Azam to the T20I squad. Babar last played for Pakistan in the shortest format in December 2024, before being dropped. He was left out of the Asia Cup squad earlier this year as well.
Wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, who was dropped at the same time, has not returned. Fast bowler Naseem Shah has also been recalled, having not played a T20I since November 2024. Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman and Sufiyan Muqeem have been named as reserves.
27-year-old spinner Usman Tariq has received his maiden call-up to the national team. Tariq made headlines earlier this year when he claimed the issues with his bowling action in the past were because of him having “two elbows” in his arm. He was the second-highest wicket-taker in the Caribbean Premier League this year, with 20 wickets in 10 games.
