Islamabad, Oct 21: Pakistan Changes Australia Series Squad with Key Adjustments
The team traveling to Australia for the much-awaited series is anticipated to see significant series changes from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
A new captain:
Muhammad Rizwan is expected to be named the captain of the national squad for the forthcoming white-ball series, an audacious move that heralds the beginning of a new era in Pakistani cricket. The energetic wicketkeeper-batsman, who is known for his perseverance and consistency, has succeeded Babar Azam as team captain and is perceived as a major change in the team’s direction.
Rizwan’s transition from a reliable domestic player to one of Pakistan’s most trustworthy international players is expected to be bookended by this move.
Rizwan has frequently demonstrated his adaptability, whether he is opening the innings in Twenty20 cricket or making game-winning runs in Test cricket. His demeanor personifies Pakistan’s ethos of perseverance, and in his new role as captain, he will now try to inculcate that same fortitude in the upcoming cricket players.
In 2020 and 2021, he led the national side in two Test matches against New Zealand, his first as captain.
Big guns dropped:
PCB is also anticipated to bench a few well-known players to provide a platform for up-and-coming talents.
Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed are predicted to remain at home as PCB’s new selection committee continues to demonstrate its power over the direction Pakistan cricket will go.
Shadab last participated in a 50-over match in 2023, while his most recent T20 match was in June, against Ireland. Although he has been involved on the domestic scene and guided his team to victory in the Champions Cup, it is clear that the selectors have not come to trust him.
Conversely, Iftikhar has also encountered issues with the PCB recently. Since Pakistan’s June 2021 T20 World Cup match against India, the 34-year-old has not appeared for the team.
Another player who is probably going to miss Pakistan’s Australia series is Fakhar Zaman, who is supposedly having a fitness problem.
