DUBAI – Pakistan have named a dynamic playing XI as first game of thethree-match T20I series against Afghanistan will be played at the SharjahCricket Stadium tonight.
The match will start at 9pm Pakistan Standard Time.
Opener Saim Ayub, middle-order batter Tayyab Tahir and right-arm quicksZaman Khan and Ihsanullah will make Pakistan debuts. Top-order batterAbdullah Shafique, all-rounders Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim, and Azam Khanmark their returns to the Pakistan side.
These eight players were named in the 15-member squad for this T20I seriesafter a string of impressive performances in the domestic circuit and therecently-concluded Pakistan Super League 8. The series comes with anopportunity for these players to carry their form in international cricket.
Karachi-born 20-year-old Saim will open with Mohammad Haris, who has playedfive T20Is for Pakistan and announced his arrival in the last ICC Men’s T20World Cup in Australia with his blazing strokeplay and bold intent, and hasbatted with him in Peshawar Zalmi during the PSL 8. Saim comes into theside after a highly impressive run for Sindh and Peshawar Zalmi.
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The left-hander played an integral role in crowning Sindh the National T20champions as he made 416 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 155.22. Hesmashed 341 runs – that included five half-centuries, the joint-most in theseason with Babar Azam – at a strike rate of 165.53 for Peshawar Zalmi inthis PSL at the top of the order.
Pakistan XI for first Afghanistan T20I: Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris, AbdullahShafique, Tayyab Tahir, Shadab Khan (c), Azam Khan (wk), Faheem Ashraf,Imad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Zaman Khan and Ihsanullah
Probable Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran,Sediqullah Atal, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, AfsarZazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb urRehman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Malik, Naveen ul Haq andRashid Khan (c)
