Pakistan has decided to leave out Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the T20I squad for their white-ball tour of New Zealand. Salman Ali Agha has been named captain for the T20Is, with Shadab Khan appointed as vice-captain. Shadab, who hasn’t played a T20I since the Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA, will return to the role.

According to a PCB statement, the selection of Shadab and Salman for leadership positions is aimed at preparing for two significant upcoming tournaments—the Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 in September and the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2026. The squad also features several new faces, including Abdul Samad, Hassan Nawaz, and Mohammad Ali, all of whom have yet to play a T20I for Pakistan. Samad impressed with 115 runs at a strike rate of 166.67 in the Champions Cup, while Nawaz was the second-highest run-scorer with 312 runs at a strike rate of 142.47.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Rizwan has been retained as captain of Pakistan’s ODI team. Saim Ayub, who is recovering from a right ankle fracture sustained during the Cape Town Test against South Africa in January, has missed out on both squads.

Pakistan’s T20I series will begin on March 16, with matches scheduled in Christchurch, Dunedin, Auckland, Mount Maunganui, and Wellington. The ODIs will take place on March 29, April 2, and April 5 in Napier, Hamilton, and Mount Maunganui.

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

ODI Squad
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, Tayyab Tahir.