LAHORE: The Men’s Interim National Selection Committee on Wednesday announced 21 probables for the home ODI series against New Zealand, left-handed batter Sharjeel Khan included.

The interim selection committee for the national men’s team under the leadership of former captain Shahid Afridi named 21 probables for the home ODI series against New Zealand, scheduled to take place from January 9 to 13 in Karachi.

Former captain and wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed, who marked his return to Test cricket after a gap of more than three years, has not been named among the set of players, while his Sindh teammate Sharjeel, who last donned the national jersey in the fifty-over format in 2017 was named among the 21 probables.

Besides Sharjeel, Shan Masood who last played an ODI in 2019 has also been named among the 21 announced players that also feature six uncapped players Abrar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Aamer Jamal, Kamran Ghulam, Qasim Akram and Tayyab Tahir.

The final squad for the historic home ODI series will be announced following the conclusion of the ongoing Pakistan Cup and amid the second Test in Karachi, shared Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in a press release.

“The selectors will announce the 16-player squad following the conclusion of the Pakistan Cup and during the second Test, which will also be played here from 2-6 January,” said PCB in a statement.

Meanwhile, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi (injured) and Zahid Mehmood, who were part of the squad for the ODI series against the Netherlands, have not been named in the probables list.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan will take on New Zealand in three ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League matches, which will be played at National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi on January 9, 11 and 13 respectively.

PROBABLES:

Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafiq, Abrar Ahmed, Aamer Jamal, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Qasim Akram, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Sharjeel Khan and Tayyab Tahir

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