All-rounder Shadab Khan was out of the 17-member squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand due to an ankle injury, Chief Selector Wahab Riaz said on Tuesday.

“Shadab Khan is a very important member of Pakistan’s T20 cricket, unfortunately, he got injured while playing season,” he said, along with his consultant Kamran Akmal, while addressing a press conference in Lahore where he announced the squad for the series which would begin on January 12.

“His ankle got twisted. It will take him two weeks to complete the rehab. After that, he will be available for bowling,” he said, “so Shadab is not part of this tour.”

Pakistan squad: Shaheen Afridi (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Zaman Khan, Aamir Jamal, Azam Khan (wk), Abbas Afridi, Sahibzada Farhan, and Haseebullah Khan (wk).

While speaking about wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris, Riaz said that he has also given him rest as the board looked forward to expand their pool of players.

He expressed hope that the players would perform well and win series.

When asked about the reasons for inclusion of three wicketkeepers in the team, he said that the team needed to have backup—an area the team did not prepare it over the past three to four years.

Riaz went on to add that the board needed to strengthen their middle order.

He added that Azam has been given a chance to work on his fitness, saying that the wicketkeeper batter was an “impact” player for the country.

In response to a query, he said that Shan Masood would be added to the team when there would be a need for him.

Kamran Akmal said that the squad was made with a plan to have a backup to strengthen the bench stand. He clarified that his brother Umar Akmal would return to the team only on the basis of his performance.

More to follow…