Pakistan announces 20-man T20I squad for South Africa series

Pakistan Chief Selector Muhammad Wasim announced the 20-man squad for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa on Sunday. Wahab Riaz and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez were excluded from the squad.

The 20-member squad comprises of the following players:

Babar Azam, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Hussain Talat, Danish Aziz, Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Zafar Gohar, Faheem Ashraf, Aamer Yamin, Amad Butt, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Hasan Ali, Usman Qadir, Zahid Mehmood.

As per the precedent set by Wasim in the Test squad, the T20I group, too, featured a bunch of domestic stalwarts such as Zafar Gohar, Amad Butt, Zahid Mehmood and Danish Aziz. Aamer Yameen and Asif Ali, who had largely been forgotten, also marked their return.

Among the notable absentees were veterans Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Musa Khan, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan and Abdullah Shafique.

Wasim announced the squad in Lahore during a press conference, which was broadcast live on the Pakistan Cricket Board's official YouTube channel.

The incumbent chief selector, who had replaced Misbah-ul-Haq late last year, had sprang a series of surprises in the Test squad, opting to give opportunities to some of the top performers of domestic circuit, including Nauman Ali, who went on to have an exceptional debut against South Africa in the first Test.

The first T20 between the two teams will be played on February 11, the second on February 13 while the last game will be played on February 14.