Asad Shafiq

Batsman Shafiq was on Wednesday omitted from a 35-man squad to face the Black Caps after a poor Test series in England.

Mohammad Amir and Shoaib Malik were also omitted from a touring party for three Twenty20 Internationals and two Tests against the Black Caps in December and January.

Uncapped Paceman Amad Butt, batsmen Danish Aziz and Imran Butt were included along with Rohail Nazir as the Pakistan selectors invested in youth.

Pakistan head coach Misbah, who named Mohammad Rizwan as Babar Azam's Test vice-captain and Shadab Khan as T20 deputy, says there can still be a way back for the 34-year-old Shafiq.

He said: "There are three major omissions from the side that toured England. Asad Shafiq has been left out due to lack of form after he managed 510 runs in his last 15 innings, including a total of 67 runs in England.

"Asad is an experienced batsman and I am sure he will utilise this time to work harder on his game in the domestic first-class matches so that he, like Sarfraz Ahmed, can reclaim his form and be back in contention for the upcoming Tests against South Africa and Zimbabwe.

"Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Amir are not part of the white-ball matches as for this tour we have opted to invest, develop and focus on the promising and emerging players who are likely to be available to Pakistan for all formats."

The first T20 will be staged at Eden Park on December 18 and the Test series gets under way at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui on December 26.

Pakistan squad:

Abid Ali, Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Zeeshan Malik, Babar Azam (captain), Azhar Ali, Danish Aziz, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Haris Sohail, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imran Butt, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan, Rohail Nazir, Sarfraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir, Yasir Shah, Zafar Gohar, Amad Butt, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Musa, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz.

Azhar is under pressure after making only 38 in his three innings against Joe Root's side so far, while Shafiq has only three more runs to his name from a defeat in the opening Test and a weather-hit draw at the Rose Bowl. 

The tourists must win the third and final match, which starts on Friday, to avoid their first series loss in England for a decade in the longest format. 

Azhar is aware that he, along with Shafiq, needs to deliver in Southampton, though the skipper said he retains the backing of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). 

He said: "Being a captain, it is my responsibility to score runs. Asad Shafiq has been a match-winner and one of the best players we have got. 

"He has always scored runs under pressure. As senior batsmen, we both need to step up and make contributions for Pakistan in the third Test. 

"We have such a good bunch of guys with us. They make my job as captain really easy. I have the full backing of the PCB as captain. 

"Right now, my entire focus is on the third Test match and not thinking about the criticism from outside."

Azhar is backing young pacemen Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi to deliver, too. 

"We are lucky to have exciting fast bowlers. Although they are young in terms of age, they are exciting characters," he said.  

"You can't buy experience without playing, so we have to back them [Naseem and Shaheen] because they are bowling really well and putting opposition under pressure. 

"You can’t sit outside and gain experience. These guys have taken up the challenge and impressed everyone around the world, so I still feel they are good enough to win Test matches for Pakistan." 

Azhar said Pakistan would assess the pitch before naming their side after recent poor weather on the south coast. 

Meanwhile, former internationals Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq are among a host of former players who have taken up coaching roles with the PCB.