Pakistan squad announced for NZ tour: Babar Azam, Rizwan left out of T20 squad
MNP – Pakistan on Tuesday announced squads for the upcoming tour of New Zealand, with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan excluded from the T20 team.
Head coach Aqib Javed addressed a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium here, revealing that Mohammad Rizwan has been removed as T20 captain.
Salman Ali Agha has been named 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 29 March to 5 April.
The decision to appoint Salman and Shadab as T20I captain and vice-captain, respectively, has been made with an eye on two major 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.
