Pakistan captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie will no longer have a say in selection matters after the PCB selectors cut down their powers, according to a source.
Azhar was named Test captain this month in place of Sarfaraz Ahmed whose spot as wicketkeeper has been taken by Mohammad Rizwan.
India's pace talisman Jasprit Bumrah's absence will certainly hurt India, but the team's quality batting and spin bowling make them title contenders alongside South Africa and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has delayed the announcement of its World Cup squad until late May due to fitness and performance issues with some players.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood said his team showed tremendous character to register back-to-back victories against England and win their first Test series on home soil since 2021.
Pakistan's unpredictability will once again be their big strength at the T20 World Cup.
India's batters will have to counter a potent Pakistan bowling attack that can make an impact irrespective of the nature of the pitch.
Coming off a socio-economic crisis and the worst turmoil in its country's history, the Sri Lankan cricket team would like to provide the island nation with an emotional catharsis by beating fancied Pakistan in the Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy Group A match played between Pakistan and New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood termed their series-levelling victory in the second Test against England "special" as the hosts snapped their nearly four-year winless run on home soil in this format.
Ravichandran Ashwin said on Tuesday that star Pakistan batter Babar Azam "should not be mentioned in the same line" as Indian icon Virat Kohli
Shubman Gill said India's batters will have to dominate unlike last time when the top order was blown away for 66.
Young wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan is also all focus before India and Pakistan cricketers put on an entertaining evening of ODI cricket in Pallekele.
Haris Rauf was named in Pakistan's 15-member squad, which will be led by star batter Babar Azam.
Opener Shadman Islam missed out on a century in his comeback test match as Bangladesh blunted pace-heavy Pakistan's attack and reached 316-5 at stumps on the third day of the first test on Friday.
Mandhana joined the Southern Brave, meanwhile, the Birmingham Phoenix roped in Richa for the forthcoming Women's Hundred 2024.
Joe Root and Harry Brook's centuries powered England's strong reply on Day 3 of the first Test in Multan.
After left-armer Afridi's two early wickets, Australia could have been in even deeper trouble but Pakistan failed to capitalise on chances offered by Khawaja and Smith.
India captain Rohit Sharma says he wouldn't mind playing Tests against Pakistan at a neutral venue as it would be a "great contest" against the "superb bowling line-up" of the arch-rivals.
Images from the T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and Canada, in New York, on Tuesday.
Babar Azam does not believe that the outcome of the much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash in World Cup on Saturday will have an impact on his captaincy.
In a nail-biting finish at the MCG, Australia clinched a thrilling two-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first ODI on Monday night.
Pakistan completed a crushing innings and 44-run victory over Bangladesh on the fourth morning on Monday
Saud Shakeel's career-best 208 not out fetched Pakistan a significant first-innings lead of 149
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI against Pakistan on Sunday?
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 2nd Test played between Pakistan and England in Multan on Tuesday.
Pakistan's experienced wicketkeeper-batter Sarfaraz Ahmed laid out the team's plans to ruin Australia's star batter David Warner's farewell Test series.
Head coach Jason Gillispie said Shaheen Afridi understands the "situation" and the break will give him quality time with his family.
Pakistan does not have any injury concerns but they are one of the most undercooked ODI sides at the moment. Since the 2019 World Cup, the 'Green Brigade' has played just 29 ODIs, whereas India have played 57 matches in the same period. - Asia Cup 2023
England became the first team to win a Test by an innings after conceding more than 500 runs in their first innings.
Khurrum Shahzad was one of the few success stories for Pakistan in the first Test against Australia in Perth.
Captain Shan Masood smashed 153 and forged a 253-run partnership with fellow centurion Abdullah Shafique as Pakistan dominated Day 1 of the first Test against England on Monday.
Pakistan might have heaved a sigh of relief to see that Shaheen Shah Afridi did not show any signs of a draining fever that had gripped the team upon its arrival in Bengaluru.
Babar Azam spoke about his team's mistakes in the final match
The PCB said that the change had to be made as Qadir is yet to recover from a hairline fracture
Seen as two of the fastest bowlers in Pakistan's domestic circuit, 19-year-old Musa was included in both squads on Monday, while 16-year-old Naseem has been named in the test attack featuring a third teenager in Shaheen Afridi.
At the moment, Pakistan's World Cup campaign is stuck against a huge boulder primarily because of their bowlers' inability to fire as a unit, the latest setback being a 62-run defeat against Australia in Bengaluru.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane
Pakistan have won their first two World Cup matches but the lack of depth in the bowling is a concern
Kohli, who has a stellar record against Pakistan, registered his lowest individual score against the Men in Green on Saturday.
