Pakistan national team for the next three-match T20I series against Afghanistan may include hard-hitter Azam Khan, all-rounder Imad Wasim, and Usama Mir, according to reports.
Also, certain players who have previously played regularly will most likely be rested for the series.
Wasim and Khan are the second and third-highest scorers in the Pakistan Super League this season (PSL). Mir is ranked joint-fourth among leading wicket-takers.
According to the reports, a provisional coaching staff would be appointed for the series.
The head coach, Saqlain Mushtaq, and the bowling coach, Shaun Tait, performed their final assignment before their contracts expired in February of this year during the New Zealand series.
Under the Ramiz Raja regime, Muhammad Yousuf was appointed as Pakistan’s batting coach based on the outcomes of each series. He is a full-time batting teacher at the National High Performance Center (NHPC) in Lahore.
The Pakistani team will leave on March 23 for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the series would most likely be contested in Sharjah. Back-to-back games are possible, although the matches will most likely be completed within a week.
The official schedule for talks between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is approaching.
After a discussion between Sethi and ACB officials, the format was changed. Instead of T20Is, Pakistan and Afghanistan will play a three-match ODI series this year. This is because both teams have already qualified for the ODI World Cup in India in 2023.
I spoke with the executive members of Afghanistan Cricket Board and they were asking us to play a [ODI] series but we didn’t see any appeal playing the series, Sethi said at a press conference in January.
It’s mostly because the series was meant to determine [Super League] points, and now it doesn’t matter who wins, the analyst explained. As a result, we decided to play three T20Is in Sharjah immediately following the PSL, subject to government approval. We will each receive half of the series’ profits. And we’ll outsource the production together, he added.