LAHORE: Former captains Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi have returned to Pakistan’s Twenty20 squad for the three-match home series against Australia, which begins on Thursday and serves as the team’s final bilateral assignment before next month’s T20 World Cup.
Babar missed Pakistan’s recent series against Sri Lanka while featuring in Australia’s Big Bash League, but the 31-year-old cut short his BBL stint to rejoin the national camp. Fast bowler Afridi also makes his comeback after recovering from a knee injury sustained during the BBL last month.
Pakistan will host Australia in Lahore, with the series running until February 1. The 2009 champions will then shift focus to the T20 World Cup, where they open their Group A campaign against the Netherlands in Colombo on February 7.
PAKISTAN SQUAD: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq
