Chief Selector Muhammad Waseem is declaring Pakistan's crew for the impending ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup, which is planned to happen from October 17.
Waseem reported a 15-man crew, with three players chose as reserve. This similar group will play the home series against New Zealand and England in the coming weeks.
In his opening statement, the chief selector said that Pakistan had selected specialists as it was the requirement of modern cricketing standards.
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He said another aspect that the selection committee had kept in mind while picking the players was Pakistan's previous record and the relative advantage it held on UAE pitches, compared to other teams.
"Babar Azam will be the captian of the squad while Shadab Khan will be the vice-captain," he said, adding that pinch hitters Asif Ali and Azam Khan have also been selected in the team.
Fast-bowler Haris Rauf, Hassan Ali, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez and Mohammad Hasnain have also been selected, announced the chief selector.
Muhammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Waseem Jr, Shaheen Afridi and Sohaib Maqsood have been selected for the team as well.
Former Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed has been dropped from the T20 squad, after he was also sidelined for the New Zealand ODI series.
Left-handed opening batsman Fakhar Zaman, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir have been included in the reserve players; category for the T20 World Cup squad.
Speaking on Haris Rauf's inclusion, Waseem said he was one of the premium fast bowlers in Pakistan, adding that his bowling, especially in the death overs, had previously won Pakistan matches.
However, he conceded Rauf hadn't performed well in the last couple of matches but went on to say that his average was also impressive and that when the team formulates its strategy in the coming days, Rauf's inclusion would make sense.