Sports: Pakistan announces ODI cricket team for Zimbabwe series

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced its 16-man national cricket team that will play a three-match limited overs home series against Zimbabwe commencing on Tuesday, officials said.

The PCB gave a major revamp to the national side by dropping seven players, which lost all three One-day International (ODI) matches against Bangladesh last month.

The selection committee axed Fawad Alam, Saad Nasim, Saeed Ajmal, Sami Aslam, Umar Gul, Zulfiqar Babar and Rahat Ali from the team.

All-rounder Shoaib Malik and fast bowler Mohammad Sami have been called back into the ODI squad for the first time in nearly two years.

World's top class off spin bowler Ajmal who failed to execute his deliveries after returning to international cricket after correcting his action last month, was ignored for the home series against Zimbabwe.

The team also includes all-rounder Hammad Azam, Imad Wasim, opener Ahmed Shehzad, Babar Azam and fast bowler Anwar Ali.

Zimbabwe and Pakistan will also play three ODI matches on May 26, 28 and 31 at the Gaddafi Stadium in the country's eastern city of Lahore.

Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan won the two-match T20 series against the tourists by 2-0 at the same venue.

Earlier on Monday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that Pakistan must make a 3-0 clean-sweep in the ODI series against Zimbabwe to ensure that it doesn't drop points on the ICC Team Rankings.

"Ninth-ranked Pakistan will start the series with a difference of 42 points relative to 11th-ranked Zimbabwe and this gap means it is expected to win the series convincingly, the ICC said in a statement. Endit