Karachi: Pakistan opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad has been called in the World T20 squad as a replacement for Khurram Manzoor.
The decision in this regard has been conveyed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) by the Pakistan Cricket Board ( PCB) in their final list.
Shehzad has been included in the squad after Manzoor’s disappointing performance in the recently-concluded Asia Cup. He smashed mere 11 runs in the three matches which he played.
The 24-year-old, who was dropped for the Asia Cup and for the T20 pinnacle event, managed to impress the selectors with his consistent performances in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the Express Tribune reports.
Shehzad has made 40 T20 appearances for Pakistan, scoring 941 runs at an average of 24.76.He is also the only Pakistan batsman to score a century in the shortest format of the game.
Besides Shehzad, top-order batsman Khalid Latif, who played his last match against Sri Lanka in 2012, has also been included in the Shahid Afridi-led squad for the mega event.
Pakistan will play their first match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 16.
The revised Pakistan squad for World T20 is as follows:
Shahid Afridi (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Sharjeel Khan, Ahmad Shahzad, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Wahab Riaz, Muhammad Amir, Mohammad Irfan, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Sami. (ANI)