‘I’m very straight….we didn’t get a inexperienced sign from the chairman’: Shahid Afridi on not choosing Sharjeel Khan in Pakistan’s ODI squad vs NZ

Pakistan’s Interim chairman of selectors Shahid Afridi didn’t mince his phrases when it got here to reasoning why Sharjeel Khan was not amongst the 16 gamers within the nationwide workforce squad for the three-match ODI sequence towards New Zealand.

“24 ke andar maine select kiya tha (He was part of the 24-player shortlist),” stated Afridi in a presser on Thursday, January 5. “This, owing to his performances in domestic cricket.” The former Pakistan skipper then turned in direction of Haroon Rashid, convener of the interim committee and stated, “I’m very straight, we did not receive a green signal from the chairman regarding whatever had happened in Dubai.”

Afridi was in fact referring to Khan’s involvement within the Pakistan Super League spot fixing scandal within the 2017 version of the league again in UAE. The batter had accepted all 5 prices on the identical to the Anti-Corruption Tribunal of PCB and was handed a 5 yr ban from worldwide cricket again in 2017.

New additions to the eventual squad included uncapped batter Tayyab Tahir and wrist spinner Usama Mir, on the again of their performances within the Pakistan Cup whereas Fakhar Zaman and Haris Rauf, who had been nursing accidents, marked a return. A notable miss was the title of Shaheen Shah Afridi, who continues to be recovering from a knee damage sustained through the 2022 T20 World Cup closing. Shadab Khan additionally wasn’t match to be added within the 16-player listing.

“I am pleased Fakhar Zaman and Haris Rauf have regained complete fitness and though we will miss Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi in this series, their absence will provide Mohammad Wasim Junior, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usama Mir to step up and demonstrate what they are actually capable of,” Afridi stated.

Afridi additional prompt that the squad was picked preserving one eye on the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup later this yr.

“We had limited ODI cricket last year and this year, we are scheduled to play 11 ODIs before we participate in the ACC Asia Cup, followed by the World Cup in conditions that will be familiar to us. So, we aim to make optimum use of these 11 ODIs by providing opportunities to our consistent performers that will enable us to select the best available players for the two important tournaments.”

Pakistan are at present enjoying the second Test towards New Zealand, requiring 319 runs to win on the ultimate day in Karachi. The first of three ODIs will likely be performed on Monday, January 9.

Pakistan ODI squad: Babar Azam (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir and Usama Mir