Sahibzada Farhan appointed Pakistan's new T20I captain for SL series
What's the story
Sahibzada Farhan has been named the new captain of Pakistan's T20I team for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. He takes over from Salman Ali Agha, who has been dropped from the squad. The decision comes after Farhan's impressive performance at last year's Asia Cup and his highest-scorer finish at the ICC T20 World Cup, where he scored 383 runs at a strike rate of 160.
Captaincy credentials
Farhan led Pakistan to silver medal at Asian Games
Farhan's leadership skills were on display at the Asian Games, where he led Pakistan to a silver medal.
Although his batting wasn't as strong in the two games Pakistan played at the Asian Games, they gave India a tough fight in the final before losing by 19 runs.
Hasan Nawaz, who scored 96 in that final against India, makes a return to the T20I side after a year-long absence.
Player comebacks
Naseem, Razaullah included in both formats
Naseem Shah, who last played a T20I at the T20 World Cup in February, is also back in the squad.
He had suffered a knee injury during PSL in April but has since managed to build up his bowling workloads in domestic cricket and CPL.
Right-arm quick Razaullah, who impressed on his Test debut against England last month with his pace and thrilling batting display, is also included in both squads despite being uncapped in both limited-overs formats.
Stats
Key numbers for Farhan and Agha
Farhan has done well in T20Is, scoring 1,316 runs across 47 games at an average of 29.24 and a strike rate of 135.67.
His tally includes two tons and 10 fifties.
Meanwhile, Agha has been far from consistent as his 916 runs have come at an average of 22.90. His strike rate is also a paltry 123.11.
Pakistan won 31 games under him and lost 18.
Information
Pakistan T20I squad against Sri Lanka
Squad: Sahibzada Farhan (capt), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Khawaja Nafay (wk), Maaz Sadaqat, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Moqim.
Squad alterations
Shaheen continues as ODI captain; Rizwan left out
The ODI squad sees less change with Shaheen Afridi continuing as captain.
The team includes Babar Azam but not Mohammad Rizwan, who is currently under investigation and legal proceedings with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Authority.
Ghazi Ghori, who made his Test debut against England at Edgbaston and has played four ODIs, is now Pakistan's first-choice wicketkeeper in ODIs.
Khawaja Nafay is the only specialist wicketkeeper in the T20I squad.
Coaching change
Shaun Tait returns as Pakistan's bowling coach
The T20Is and tri-series will also see the return of Shaun Tait as Pakistan's bowling coach. He previously held the position for a year from February 2022.
Tait returns after a successful stint as Bangladesh's fast-bowling coach, where he oversaw a 2-0 Test series win against Pakistan.
Under his guidance, Bangladesh beat Pakistan in ODI and T20I series.
Information
Pakistan ODI squad for tri-series against Sri Lanka and England
Squad: Shaheen Shah Afridi (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saad Baig (wk), Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Moqim.