Pakistan on Friday surprisingly named uncapped Azam Khan, son of former captain Moin Khan, in the T20 squad for the tours of England and West Indies.

The selectors also recalled Imad Wasim for the three T20 matches in England and five in the West Indies besides Haris Sohail for the three ODIs in England.

Fast bowlers Muhammad Abbas and Naseem Shah have also won back spots in the Test squad that will play two games against the West Indies in Jamaica. Both Abbas and Naseem were ignored for the recent two Tests played in Zimbabwe.

Azam, 22, was the surprise pick for the coming twin tours as he has played just a single first-class match and 36 T20 matches but has gained fame for his six-hitting prowess. He has appeared in the Pakistan Super League and Sri Lanka Premier League events.

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The selectors have also kept the seasoned leg-spinner, Yasir Shah, for the two Tests but his final selection is subject to his passing a fitness test as he was also overlooked for the Zimbabwe tour because of a knee injury.

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From July 8 to 20, Pakistan will play three ODIs and as many T20Is in England before facing world champions West Indies in five T20Is and two Test matches.

Yasir Shah’s participation is conditional to his fitness, as the leggie is still recovering from a knee ailment that kept him out of the Zimbabwe Tests.

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Leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood, left-arm spinner Nauman Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan have all been retained for the Jamaica Tests.

Unrestricted after missing the South Africa ODIs due to injury, Saud Shakeel has restored his position. Salman Ali Agha has been called up for the One-Day Internationals after losing his Test place.

Following a fantastic performance in South Africa, Fakhar Zaman was recruited as an extra player for the Zimbabwe T20Is and has kept his position in the original team.

According to chief selector Muhammad Wasim, the management has opted to remain consistent in its selection and include the players who have constituted the foundation of the squad in the recent series.

“As part of our preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Pakistan will play the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs against England as well as T20Is against England and the West Indies,” Wasim Khan added.

Wasim said that “In consultation with captain Babar Azam and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq, we have attempted to maintain the winning combinations while also recalling four experienced players and rewarding uncapped Azam Khan for his domestic performance, while also providing him with the necessary confidence for future challenges.”

The chief selector further added that he certain the changes will close those gaps, putting us in a great position to finish in the top three across all forms by the end of 2023.

SQUADS

ODIs: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Usman Qadir.

T20Is: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Arshad Iqbal, Azam Khan (Sindh), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sharjeel Khan, and Usman Qadir.

Tests: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper) (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Yasir Shah and Zahid Mahmood