Trio dropped by Pakistan

Shoaib Malik has been omitted from Pakistan's Asia Cup squad

Misbah-ul-Haq has been retained as Pakistan captain for the Asia Cup but there is no place for Shoaib Malik, Imran Farhat or Adnan Akmal in a 15-man squad.

Pakistan lost their most recent one-day series against England 4-0, leading to calls for change

Wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed has been recalled at Akmal's expense, while opener Nasir Jamshed is also back in favour.

"We feel that since Nasir has done well in domestic cricket and in the recent Bangladesh Premier League he deserves a chance to play for the national team," said chief selector Iqbal Qasim.

The PCB is also expected to announce the appointment of Australian Dav Whatmore as head coach on Saturday. Mohsin Khan has been acting as interim coach for the England series.

The Asia Cup, a one-day international tournament featuring Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, takes place from March 11-22 in Dhaka.

Pakistan squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (cpt), Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Younus Khan, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed (wkt), Shahid Afridi, Hammad Azam, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Aizaz Cheema

• World Cup 2015 Tournament Winner: Pakistan 6/1