Major shake-up expected in Pakistan’s T20 squad for the New Zealand tour scheduled from March 16 to March 29, following a humiliating performance in the ongoing ICC Men’s Champions Trophy.
Pakistan’s head coach for the New Zealand tour is likely to remain Aaqib Javed, while Mohammad Yousuf is under consideration for the batting coach role, and Shadab Khan is a strong candidate for T20 captaincy according to Jang News.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has completed consultations regarding the squad and management for the New Zealand tour.
According to sources, interim head coach Aaqib Javed is expected to continue in his role for the New Zealand tour. Due to time constraints, PCB will issue an advertisement for the head coach position, after which shortlisted candidates will be considered. However, an immediate appointment seems unlikely.
Mohammad Yousuf is being considered for the batting coach role, while Azhar Mahmood will remain the bowling coach, and Mohammad Masroor will continue as the fielding coach. However, coach Shahid Aslam and operations manager Hina Manzoor will not be traveling with the team to New Zealand.
In the ODI squad, Mohammad Rizwan will continue as captain, with a few changes expected in the team. However, significant changes are anticipated in the T20 squad, including a new captain. Shadab Khan is the frontrunner for the T20 captaincy. Notably, Rizwan was not the T20 captain during the Zimbabwe tour, where Agha Salman led the side.
The possible players for the T20 squad include Shadab Khan, Mohammad Haris, Sufiyan Muqeem, Irfan Niazi, Shaheen Afridi, Abbas Afridi, Jahandad Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Umair Bin Yousuf, Khushdil Shah, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Haris Rauf, Usman Khan, Hussain Talat, and Mohammad Ali.
