Lahore, March 4 (NationPress) All-rounder Salman Ali Agha has been named the new T20I captain as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand.

Mohammad Rizwan will maintain his role as ODI captain, with Salman acting as his deputy for the three 50-over matches scheduled towards the end of the tour from March 29 to April 5. He will continue to lead the 50-over team as Pakistan prepares for the ICC Men’s 50-over Cricket World Cup 2027, slated to occur in Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe in October/November 2027.

Pakistan is set to engage in a five-match T20I series against New Zealand from March 16 to 26. Salman will also serve as Rizwan’s deputy in the three-match ODI series taking place from March 29 to April 5.

"Salman Ali Agha has been appointed Pakistan’s T20I captain, with Shadab Khan as vice-captain, for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand from 16-26 March. Mohammad Rizwan will continue as ODI captain, with Salman serving as his deputy for the three 50-over matches scheduled at the backend of the tour from March 29 to April 5," PCB stated in a release on Tuesday.

Aqib Javed will remain as interim head coach for the New Zealand tour. His initial term was until the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, but he has been requested to extend his tenure while the search for a permanent head coach is initiated. Mohammad Yousuf has been named as batting coach.

In the T20I squad, there are three uncapped players – Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz, and Mohammad Ali – while Akif Javed and Mohammad Ali are the two players who have yet to debut in ODIs. These four players have been rewarded for their exceptional performances in the Champions One-Day and T20 Cups.

During the Champions T20 Cup, Abdul Samad scored 115 runs at a strike-rate of 166.67 after accumulating 145 runs at a strike-rate of 122.88 in the Champions One-Day Cup. Similarly, Hasan Nawaz had a stellar Champions T20 Cup, finishing as the second leading run-scorer with 312 runs at a strike-rate of 142.47.

Mohammad Ali, with 22 wickets, was the leading wicket-taker in the Champions T20 Cup, while he claimed three wickets in the Champions One-Day Cup.

"The choice to appoint Salman and Shadab as T20I captain and vice-captain, respectively, was made in anticipation of two significant upcoming tournaments - the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 (September 2025) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (February/March 2026). Salman previously led Pakistan in a T20I series against Zimbabwe last year, winning 2-1," PCB remarked.

Akif Javed has been included in the ODI squad after taking seven wickets in five Champions One-Day Cup matches, having previously taken fifteen wickets in the Champions T20 Cup.

PCB also noted that openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were omitted from either format due to medical issues. Fakhar sustained a left lower intercostal muscle sprain during Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand.

Saim, on the other hand, is recovering from a right ankle fracture incurred on the first day of the Cape Town Test against South Africa in January. Both players are anticipated to regain full fitness in time for the Pakistan Super League 10, which is set to commence in Rawalpindi on April 11.

As part of preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan is scheduled to play a minimum of five T20Is in the ACC Asia Cup 2025 and three T20Is against West Indies (away, July), Afghanistan (home, August), Ireland (home, September), South Africa (home, September/October), Sri Lanka (home, November), and Australia (home, January 2026).

Pakistan squads-

T20I- Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousaf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, and Usman Khan.

ODI- Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sufyan Moqim, and Tayyab Tahir. A wicketkeeper/batter will be added to the ODI squad following the T20Is.

A wicketkeeper/batter will be incorporated into the ODI squad following the T20Is.