Shaheen Afridi could make his international debut next month

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

The uncapped trio of Asif Ali, Hussain Talat and Shaheen Afridi have been called up to Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming three-match Twenty20 series against the West Indies.

Asif, Talat and Afridi were all included in the side based on their performances in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Asif and Talat both represented Islamabad United, who won the PSL, and scored 213 and 201 runs at an average of 33.50 and 30.42 respectively. Talat also took four wickets at an average of 31.

Afridi, meanwhile, played for the Lahore Qalandars and took seven wickets at an average of 28.14.

Usman Khan and Rahat Ali also made the cut, but Imad Wasim and Rumman Raees were left out as they have yet to sufficiently recover from their injuries. Imad suffered a concussion, while Raees damaged ligaments in his knee after he stepped on a ball on the boundary.

Usman, who represented the Karachi Kings, was the third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 16 wickets at an average of 16.12.

As for Rahat, who was part of the Quetta Gladiators, he was the fourth-highest wicket-taker with 15 victims at an average of 21.46.

Opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad kept hold of his place in the side, while veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik returned after missing the Twenty20 series against New Zealand with a concussion.

The three-match series will be held in Karachi on April 1, 2 and 3. It will be the first time Karachi has hosted an international match since 2009. It was also be the first time the National Stadium has hosted a Twenty20 International.

Pakistan’s T20 squad: Ahmed Shehzad, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Muhammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Rahat Ali, Usman Khan, Shaheen Afridi