Selectors Set To Include New Faces In Pakistan Squad For T20Is In Sri Lanka

The Pakistan Cricket Board's selectors are not ruling out the possibility of including some new faces in the T20 squad that will be playing three matches in Sri Lanka from January 7 to 11. This is because the PCB had issued NOC to six main players to appear in the Big Bash League in Australia which runs from December 14 to end of January before it announced the three-match series in Dambulla this week. This is the first time so many Pakistani players are taking part in the BBL including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Muhammad Rizwan (their debut seasons in the event), Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan.
With the exception of Rizwan, who has not been picked in the national T20 squad since December 2024, all the others are either playing or are set to play in the format for Pakistan team.
Cricket Australia had made it clear before permitting its teams to sign on the Pakistan players that they would be available for the entire season.
"The understanding between CA and PCB was that Pakistan didn't have any international commitments in December and until the last week of January the players could play in the entire Big Bash event. But the situation has changed now," a reliable source said.
He said now either the PCB would have to hold another round of talks with CA or go with the selectors who are happy to give the bench strength the chance to play the series in Sri Lanka.
Many cricket boards in the past have complained about Pakistani players who sign on to play in their leagues being called back abruptly by the PCB for some training camp or national duty.
The PCB has also allowed Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz and Naseem Shah to appear in the Emirates league but that will end before the matches in Sri Lanka.