“I am committed to giving my absolute best in this role and look forward to working closely with the selectors, coaches and my immensely talented teammates,” a statement attributed by the PCB to Rizwan stated. “Together, we aim to meet and exceed the expectations of our fans and supporters.”
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed Fakhar’s dispute with the PCB over a tweet he posted in opposition to Babar being dropped from the Test side was a factor in his omission, though according to the chairman, it wasn’t the biggest reason. “The tweet [he posted] is an issue for us,” Naqvi said. “It doesn’t matter as much as him failing his fitness test though. We have to make a decision over his show-cause notice, and after that he has to pass his fitness test. That’s why he isn’t in. He spoke very well at the connection camp, and it was him raising his voice that has led us to reform our international department. I appreciate that. But it’s unacceptable for a player to tweet against the selection committee. That is not permitted, and it will never be permitted.”
The ODI series against Australia, set to begin on November 4, is Pakistan’s first in the format since the World Cup in India a year earlier. It kickstarts a busy period in the 50-over format in the build-up to the Champions Trophy in February, the first ICC event Pakistan are scheduled to host since the 1996 World Cup. The Australia and Zimbabwe ODIs are followed by white-ball games in both formats against South Africa, and a tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa in Multan just before the start of the Champions Trophy.
Australia tour (Nov 4-18)
Pakistan ODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Irfan Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi
T20I squad: Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), Abbas Afridi, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.
Zimbabwe tour (Nov 24 – Dec 5)
ODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Irfan Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Saim Ayub, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tayyab Tahir
T20I squad: Agha Salman (capt), Abbas Afridi, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Omair Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan
11.50 GMT: This story was updated when Rizwan was confirmed as captain
Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo’s Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000
