Former skipper Sana Mir will not feature in the 15-player squad headed to the ICC Women's T20 World Cup next month in Australia

Following the squad announcement on Monday, chief selector Urooj Mumtaz justified the decision to drop Mir based on her recent performances. 

"Unfortunately, Sana's present form in T20 cricket hasn't been great and we have taken into consideration two international series and domestic tournaments," said Mumtaz.

"There can be no doubt about her achievements, and the fact that she has been an inspiration in the sport. Her experience is unmatched but now we have an expanding pool of players and we have to pick players who are performing consistently," she added.

The 34-year-old first made her debut in 2005 and has since gone on to captain Pakistan in both the ICC 50-over and T20 World Cups. In total, Mir has played 106 T20 internationals and 120 ODI's. She has also appeared in every edition of the T20 World Cup including the previous one in 2018.

Captain Bismah Maroof will lead Pakistan next month with the addition of two youngsters, 15-year-old Ayesha Naseem with her first call-up and 16-year-old Aroob Shah.

Maroof said: "We have tried to strike the right balance of youth and senior players. It was a tough decision to leave out Sana Mir. I wanted to have her in the squad over which I, along with the selection committee, had deep deliberations. We had to decide between her and the emerging players who had been impressing on all stages.

"I respect and support the decision of the major group and hope she will continue to serve Pakistan women's cricket in future with the same passion and energy," she added.

Pakistan will play their first match of the tournament against the West Indies on February 26.