Salman Agha Named Pakistan's T20I Captain As PCB Announce Squad For NZ Tour

Salman Agha named Pakistan's T20I captain as PCB announce squad for NZ tour (Image Source: IANS)

Salman Ali Agha: All-rounder Salman Ali Agha has been appointed as the new T20I captain as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand.

Mohammad Rizwan will continue as ODI captain, with Salman serving as his deputy for the three 50-over matches scheduled at the backend of the tour from March 29 to April 5. He will continue leading the 50-over side as Pakistan builds towards the ICC Men’s 50-over Cricket World Cup 2027, which will take place in Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe in October/November 2027.

Pakistan is set to play a five-match T20I series against New Zealand from March 16 to 26. Salman will also serve as Rizwan’s deputy in the three-match ODI series scheduled from March 29 to April 5.

"Salman Ali Agha has been named Pakistan’s T20I captain, with Shadab Khan as vice-captain, for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand from 16-26 March. Mohammad Rizwan will continue as ODI captain, with Salman serving as his deputy for the three 50-over matches scheduled at the backend of the tour from March 29 to April 5," PCB said in a statement released on Tuesday.

Aqib Javed will continue as interim head coach for the New Zealand tour. His original term was until the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, but he has been asked to extend his tenure while the search for a permanent head coach begins. Mohammad Yousuf has been appointed as batting coach.

In the T20I squad, there are three uncapped players – Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Ali – while Akif Javed and Mohammad Ali the two players who have yet to debut in ODIs. The four players have been rewarded for their impressive performances in the Champions One-Day and T20 Cups.

In the Champions T20 Cup, Abdul Samad scored 115 runs at a strike-rate of 166.67 after aggregating 145 runs at a strike-rate of 122.88 in the Champions One-Day Cup. Likewise, Hasan Nawaz had a staller Champions T20 Cup, finishing as the second leading run-getter with 312 runs at a strike-rate of 142.47.

Mohammad Ali with 22 wickets was the leading wicket-taker in Champions T20 Cup, while he took three wickets in the Champions One-Day Cup.

"The decision to appoint Salman and Shadab as T20I captain and vice-captain, respectively, has been made with an eye on two major upcoming tournaments - the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 (September 2025) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (February/March 2026). Salman previously led Pakistan in a T20I series against Zimbabwe last year, winning 2-1," PCB said.

Akif Javed has been selected in the ODI side after his seven wickets in five Champions One-Day Cup matches, while he took 15 wickets in the Champions T20 Cup.

PCB also said that openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were not included in either format due to medical reasons. Fakhar sustained a left lower intercostal muscle sprain during Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand.

Saim, on the other hand, is recovering from a right ankle fracture suffered on the first day of the Cape Town Test against South Africa in January. Both players are expected to regain full fitness in time for the Pakistan Super League 10, set to begin in Rawalpindi on April 11.

As part of preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan is set to play a minimum of five T20Is in the ACC Asia Cup 2025 and three T20Is each against West Indies (away, July), Afghanistan (home, August), Ireland (home, September), South Africa (home, September/October), Sri Lanka (home, November) and Australia (home, January 2026).

Pakistan squads-

T20I- Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousaf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan

ODI- Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sufyan Moqim and Tayyab Tahir. A wicketkeeper/batter will be added to the ODI squad following the T20Is

T20I- Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousaf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan

Article Source: IANS