Selectors announced three changes to Pakistan’s World Cup roster on Friday, including the return of former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Sarfaraz, 34, was not included to the 15-man roster announced last month, but all 16 teams playing in the tournament had until October 10 to make any changes.
The Twenty20 World Cup kicks off on October 17 in Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Changes were made, according to Pakistan’s head selector Mohammad Wasim, after performances in the ongoing National Twenty20 tournament.
“We have decided to include Haider Ali, Fakhar Zaman, and Sarfaraz in the squad for the T20 World Cup 2021 after analysing player performances and consulting with the team management,” Wasim was cited as saying in a Pakistan Cricket Board announcement.
Haider, who was dismissed from the initial team for breaking a bio-security bubble in the Pakistan Super League in the UAE in June, has 315 runs in eight games in the national event, including three fifties.
After suffering a lower back disc injury, top-order batsman Sohaib Maqsood has been included in the team, subject to fitness and medical advice, according to Wasim.
Batsman Khushdil Shah, deputy wicketkeeper Azam Khan, and bowler Mohammad Hasnain are the three players that were in the initial team but have since been pulled out.
Pakistan is in Group 2 of the Super 12 phases of the World Cup, and their first match is on October 24 in Dubai against archrivals India.
Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohaib Maqsood
Travelling reserves: Khushdil Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Usman Qadir