KARACHI: Pakistan's chief selector
Inzamam-ul-Haq has picked his nephew,
Imam-ul-Haq, in the 15-member one-day squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka in the UAE.
The squad announced on Friday by the
Pakistan Cricket Board
has only one change from the squad that won the Champions Trophy in England in June with the senior batsman,
Azhar Ali
dropped to make way for
Imam
.
"Azhar has been rested for the series to regain full fitness," a board statement said.
Before the Test series against the Lankans, Azhar had struggled with a knee problem but was picked in the final line up after being treated with injections.
The 21-year old Imam, a left-hand batsman, has played in just 31 First-Class matches and 24 List A games before being picked in the national squad.
Inzamam
said Imam had been picked because of his consistent performances in domestic cricket and to give chance to a youngster in home conditions.
The selectors have also recalled experienced batsmen,
Ahmed Shehzad and
Muhammad Hafeez
for the five-match series.
Imam, a top-order batsman, has appeared for the Pakistan under-19 and emerging squad.
Pakistan squad: Ahmed Shehzad, Fakhar Zaman, Muhammad Hafeez, Babar Azam,
Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed (captain), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf. Hasan Ali, Muhammad Aamir, Ruman Raees, Junaid Khan, Haris Sohail and Imam-ul-Haq.