Replacing Sarfaraz with young players a good decision: Sikander Bakht

Former fast bowler and cricket analyst Sikandar Bakht has said replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed with a younger player is a good decision by the selection committee. 

Speaking on Geo News' programme Geo Pakistan, Bakht said the way Sarfaraz Ahmed was removed from captaincy was wrong, however, replacing him with a younger player is a good decision. 

Bakht added that it is a positive development that the young wicket-keeper, Muhammad Haris, has been included in the squad for the series against New Zealand.

The New Zealand Tour of Pakistan is set to begin in September. 

Read More: New Zealand's squad for Pakistan tour

Pakistan announced the ODI squad for the three-match series the day before, in which former captain Sarfraz Ahmed was dropped from the team. 

Sohaib Maqsood has been dropped from the ODI squad too, while Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah have been included once again in the team. 

New Zealand's tour of Pakistan will begin on September 17.

Rawalpindi’s Pindi Cricket Stadium will be the venue of the 17, 19 and 21 September ODIs, while the iconic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will stage five T20Is from September 25 to October 3. 

Pakistan ODI squad:

Babar Azam (captain, Central Punjab), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hassan Ali (Central Punjab), Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Haris (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shadab Khan (Northern), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh), Usman Qadir (Central Punjab) and Zahid Mahmood (Southern Punjab)