Pakistan Cricket Board Names Squads for New Zealand Tour, Announces T20I Captaincy Change

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday has announced the squad for the upcoming limited-overs series against New Zealand, set to start later this month. The series will include five T20 Internationals (T20Is) followed by three One Day Internationals (ODIs), taking place from March 16 to April 5.

Salman Ali Agha has been named as the captain of Pakistan's T20 team for the five-match T20 International series against New Zealand, set from March 16 to March 26. Shadab Khan will act as the vice-captain. Mohammad Rizwan will remain the ODI captain, while Agha Salman will be his deputy for the three-match ODI series, which will be held from March 29 to April 5.

The decision to name Agha Salman and Shadab Khan as T20 captain and vice-captain, respectively, has been made with a focus on two major upcoming tournaments: the ACC Men's T20 Asia Cup 2025 (September 2025) and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup (February-March 2026). Salman previously captained Pakistan in the T20I series against Zimbabwe last year, achieving a 2-1 win.

In their ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 preparation, Pakistan will play at least five T20I games during the ACC Asia Cup 2025. Pakistan will play a three-match T20I series against West Indies (away, July), Afghanistan (home, August), Ireland (home, September), South Africa (home, September-October), Sri Lanka (home, November), and Australia (home, January 2026).

Mohammad Rizwan will continue to captain the ODI team as Pakistan prepares for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027, set to be held in October-November 2027 across Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Aqib Javed will stay on as the interim head coach for the New Zealand tour. His original tenure was supposed to last until the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, but he has been asked to extend his role while the search for a permanent head coach continues. Meanwhile, Mohammad Yousuf has been named as the batting coach.

Pakistan ODI Squad for New Zealand Tour

Mohammad Rizwan (c), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim, Irfan Niazi, Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir. 

Pakistan T20I Squad for New Zealand Tour

Salman Ali Agha (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Irfan Khan Niazi, Omair Bin Yousuf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Moqim, Usman Khan.

Pakistan's Tour of New Zealand – Fixtures & Venues