Pakistan vs New Zealand: Mohammad Amir dropped from the 15-man ODI squad against Kiwis

Pakistan are currently playing a three-match T20I series against New Zealand. The opening match on Wednesday turned out to be a cliffhanger as Sarfraz Ahmed and Co brushed aside the Black Caps by two runs at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The second match is scheduled to be played today at Dubai International Cricket Stadium followed by the last match on Sunday.

Thereafter, the teams will lock horns in a three-match One Day International series, which gets underway on Wednesday, November 7, in Abu Dhabi. The second and third match will take place on Friday, November 9 and Sunday, November 11 respectively. In the meantime, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 15-man squad for the 50-overs format.

Hafeez makes his ODI comeback

Pakistan didn’t have an auspicious outing in their last ODI matches during the Asia Cup where they couldn’t qualify for the finals. Sarfraz Ahmed remains to be their captain. Imad Wasim missed the bus last time around because of failing the yo-yo test but made the cut on this occasion. All-rounder Mohammad Hafeez also staked his claim back into the ODI setup.

Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq are most likely to open the batting with right-handed batsman Babar Azam to follow. The experience of Shoaib Malik, who recently gave birth to a boy, is expected to be a fulcrum of the middle-order. Asif Ali and Haris Sohail are also a part of the team.

Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan, and Junaid Khan are the fast bowlers. Shadab Khan would partner Imad in the spin bowling department. Meanwhile, Mohammad Amir, the left-arm fast bowler, was dropped from the ODI team as well owing to his lacklustre run of form in the format over the last few months.

Here is the squad

Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed (C & wk), Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan

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