Arif Ali—AFP
Led by Sarfraz Ahmed, the 16-man squad will face off against Sri Lanka next week
Pakistan recalled pace spearhead Mohammad Amir in the 16-man squad for the three-match Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka starting next week.
The 25-year-old suffered a shin injury during the second Test in Dubai but is included in the squad after rehab in the hope that he will recover in time. The first two matches will be played in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 26 and 27 before teams fly to Lahore for the final game on Oct. 29.
Sarfraz Ahmed will lead the Pakistan side.
Sri Lanka Cricket Monday confirmed their team would tour Lahore in a ‘fly in, fly out’ arrangement for just one day—eight years after their team bus was attacked by gunmen in the same city.
The attacks, which left eight people killed and seven visiting players and their staff injured, forced international teams to stay away from Pakistan over security fears.
Pakistan successfully hosted the final of the Pakistan Super League in Lahore earlier this year and last month’s three-match Twenty20 series against a World XI revived international cricket in the country. Also staging a comeback in the squad is spinning all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez who was dropped for the World XI series, while pace all-rounder Amir Yamin has also been recalled after his performance in domestic matches.
Yamin played his last international match, against England in the U.A.E., in 2015.
Squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shahzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Amir Yamin, Mohammad Amir (subject to fitness clearance), Rumman Raees, Usman Shinwari, Umar Amin