LAHORE: In-form Iftikhar Ahmed has been included in place of veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez as the national selection committee on Monday announced an 18-member Pakistan squad for the tour of Bangladesh where a three-match T20 International series will be staged on Nov 19, 20 and 22 in Dhaka.

The 31-year-old Iftikhar who has played 13 T20 Internationals, so far is the only change made to the squad currently featuring in the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE.

According to the PCB, the 41-year-old Hafeez opted to skip the tour to provide an opportunity to any young gun so Iftikhar, who was declared as best player of the last national T20 tournament, was picked.

“The only change in the side that has qualified for the ICC T20 World Cup semi-finals is of Mohammad Hafeez who, following discussions with chief selector Mohammad Wasim, has opted out so that younger batters can get opportunities to perform and gain international experience and exposure,” read a PCB press release issued on Monday.

The squad for the two Tests against Bangladesh will be announced later. The PCB also said it has retained the team management that is presently in the UAE, barring batting consultant Matthew Hayden who is not available due to prior commitments.

Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain) Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shoaib Malik, Usman Qadir.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2021