The hastily arranged tour of South Africa is reportedly proving to be a headache for the Pakistani national selectors, who have been asked to choose one squad for both Twenty20s (T20s) and one-day internationals (ODIs).
Soon after the completion of the home series that is currently underway in the UAE, Pakistan will embark on a short South Africa tour featuring two T20s and three ODIs from November 20 to 30.
According to the Express Tribune, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said that Cricket South Africa (CSA) has sought a pool of 25 team members, including both players and officials for the entire tour, which means that the selectors are to pick one squad for both formats.
The official admitted that the selection has turned out to be a tricky task as compared to what the selection committee has been exercising in recent years, adding that team management wanted to assess players after the fifth and final ODI in Sharjah for which they have delayed the announcement of the squad.
Currently Pakistan's UAE-bound T20 and ODI squads have 11 players in common - Ahmed Shahzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Amin, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Sohail Tanvir and Sohaib Maqsood, the report added.