Ali named in Pakistan one-day squad

Dubai: Azhar Ali has been rewarded for his brilliant batting in Pakistan's Test series sweep against England with a place in the middle order of Pakistan's one-day squad.

Ali has played just one limited-overs international — against Ireland last year — but earned the selectors attention after scoring a career-best 157 in Pakistan's 71-run third-Test win on Monday.

Shahid Afridi's return to the one-day team could compound England's problem dealing with spin bowlers after Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman took 43 wickets in the Test series.

Afridi\'s return to the one-day team could compound England\'s problem dealing with spin bowlers.

The one-day squad also includes 20-year-old allrounder Hammad Azam, who has played five ODIs but has not figured since playing against Ireland at Belfast last year.

Uncapped, hard-hitting batsman Awais Zia also made his way into the Twenty20 squad after impressing selectors in domestic tournaments.

Zia, 25, has scored 455 runs in 18 domestic Twenty20 matches with a strike rate of 146.3.

Pakistan will play Afghanistan in a one-day international on Friday before the four-match ODI series against England begins in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 13.

The one-day series will be followed by three Twenty20 games.

One-day squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Hammad Azam.

Twenty20 squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafique, Adnan Akmal, Awais Zia, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Khan, Hammad Azam.

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