Flamboyant Pakistani allrounder Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal today made a comeback to the national team for the ODI and T20 series against the West Indies while senior players Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal were shown the door for the Caribbean tour starting July 14.
Pakistan on Wednesday axed former captain Shoaib Malik, wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal and opener Imran Farhat for this month's limited-overs series in the West Indies, but dashing all-rounder Shahid Afridi was back in the team.
Selectors made four changes in the one-day team which crashed out of last month's eight-nation Champions Trophy in England, losing all three games due to sloppy batting.
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Malik managed just 25 runs in three matches, Kamran scored 23 in the same number and Farhat scored four in two. Pakistan failed to cross the 170-mark in any of their games.
Shahid Afridiu00a0is making a comeback into he team after being dropped from the one-day squad twice in the last six months.
They will play five one-day and two Twenty20 internationals in the Caribbean, with the first one-day match in Guyana on July 14.
Misbah-ul Haq will lead the one-day team while Mohammad Hafeez will skipper the Twenty20 side.
Chief selector Iqbal Qasim said the 16-man one-day and 15-member T20 squads were selected after discussion with the team management.
"We have selected separate squads after consultation with Misbah and coach Dav Whatmore and we hope that it will do well," said Qasim.
Afridi was dropped from the one-day squad twice in the last six months after he failed to impress with both bat and ball, but Qasim said the all-rounder had been given one more chance.
He was first discarded for the one-day leg of the India tour in January before making a comeback on the South Africa tour, but was left out again for the Trophy.
"We have selected Afridi as per the requirement for the West Indies tour where we need a leg-spinner and he is one of the physically fittest players," said Qasim of the 33-year-old.
Afridi has not taken a single wicket in his last six one-day matches.
Also back in the one-day team is Kamran's younger brother Umar who will also keep wicket. Uncapped Mohammad Rizwan, 21, is the other keeper in the team.
Opener Ahmed Shahzad also staged a comeback after being left out two years ago.
Paceman Umar Gul remains sidelined after undergoing knee surgery in May.
Squad (one-day): Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shahzad, Asad Shafiq, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Umar Amin, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Irfan, Asad Ali, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman
Squad (Twenty20): Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Ahmed Shahzad, Nasir Jamshed, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Haris Sohail, Hammad Azam, Sohail Tanveer, Wahab Riaz, Asad Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Umar Amin, Saeed Ajmal and Zulfiqar Babar.
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