Pakistan name uncapped Asif Afridi, Mohammad Haris for Australia ODIs

Pakistan have included the uncapped duo of Asif Afridi and Mohammad Haris for the upcoming white-ball leg of the Australian series. Notably, the selectors have excluded the duo of Sarfaraz Ahmed and Imad Wasim from the squad for the white-ball series. 

"This is a reward for their hard work and consistent performances in the domestic circuit," Muhammad Wasim, Chair of the Selection Committee said on the selections of Haris and Afridi. 

"Their selections are also a message for all domestic players that their performances are being followed and whenever an opportunity arises, they will be rewarded with a national team call-up,” he added.

Asif, who impressed the selectors during the 2022 edition of the PSL with his left-arm spin, earns the call-up, on the back of his eight wickets for Multan Sultans. Haris, on the other hand, showcased his abilities with the blade, striking at 186.5, scoring 166 runs in just five appearances. 

Haris, was earlier named in the squad for the series against New Zealand before the tour was eventually called off. The selectors have omitted the likes of Abdullah Shafique, Imam-Ul-Haq and Saud Shakeel for the solitary T20I contest. 

"Australia are an equally outstanding team in the shorter formats of the game and, as such, we have decided to go with the best available and most experienced players. The four white-ball matches have significant context as the 50-over games count towards the 2023 World Cup qualification and the 20-over will be a repeat of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final."

ODI squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-Ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir

T20I squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir