Amir, Imad return to Pakistan squad

Mohammad Amir returned to the Pakistan squad after almost four years as he was named in the 17-member squad for the team's forthcoming five-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand at home.

Alongside the left-arm pacer, all-rounder Imad Wasim also made a comeback into the squad after a year's gap.

Both Amir and Imad had recently reversed their retirement from international cricket and were expected to return in Pakistan colours soon.

Amir had retired from international cricket in 2020 at the age of 28 while Imad had announced his retirement in November last year.

Haris Rauf, who was recently reinstated in Pakistan's central contract list, failed to make the cut as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury that cut short his Pakistan Super League (PSL) campaign.

Pakistan-born UAE cricketer Usman Khan, who was recently banned for five years by the UAE cricket authorities for joining the Pakistan training camp, has also been named in the squad.

The series will begin on April 18. This will be Babar Azam's first assignment after regaining the captaincy in white-ball formats from Shaheen Afridi.

Squad: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Zaman Khan.