Former Pakistan Test cricketer Kamran Akmal on Thursday rallied behind cricketer Ahmed Shehzad.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Akmal reacted to the announcement of the Pakistan squad for the series against Ireland and England. "If the team was to be formed only for the series against Ireland and England, then players like Ahmed Shehzad could have been given the opportunity to play."

Akmal was of the view that players like Sahibzada Farhan, Muhammad Ali, Usama Mir, and Aamer Jamal could have also been given the opportunity to play.

– Babar Azam to spearhead 18-member squad for Ireland, England series –

Earlier today, it was announced that Pakistan batter Babar Azam will lead an 18-member squad for the Ireland and England series as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the team on Thursday.

Addressing the press conference flanked by Abdul Razzaq and Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Yousuf said: "Usama Mir and Zaman Khan have been dropped for the series. Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali have replaced Usama Mir and Zaman Khan."

Speaking about the injury of Mohammad Rizwan, Yousuf said: "There is quite improvement as far as Mohammad Rizwan's injury is concerned. The national team is ready to play on any wicket and against any opposition.".

“Both Mohammad Rizwan and Irfan Khan are getting better," said Yousuf.

Yousuf said: "There are very few players on the team who play sweep shots. These are things that we will have to fix. Nothing will be beneficial for us if there is a fear of defeat. We will have to play cricket without any fear.".

He acknowledged the role of Babar Azam as the captain, saying, "It was in the captaincy of Babar Azam that we played the finals of Asia Cup 2022 and ICC T20 World Cup 2022".