Pakistan have recalled batsman Ahmed Shehzad in place of the out-of-form Khurram Manzoor as they finalised their squad for the upcoming World Twenty20.

Manzoor has paid the price for making just 11 runs in three Asia Cup matches – his first international appearances in the shortest format – with Shehzad coming back into the 15-man line-up for the global tournament which gets under way in India.

Shehzad, 24, is the only Pakistan batsman to have reached three figures in a T20 international, scoring 111 against Bangladesh in March 2014, but he was left out of the initial squad due to inconsistent form. He averaged a poor 13.00 in his last five T20I matches scoring 65 runs.

Shahid Afridi’s position as captain came under scrutiny after Pakistan failed to reach the Asia Cup final but the veteran has been ret-ained.

Chief selector Haroon Rashid said: “We have included Shehzad in the squad for the World Twenty20 as the decision to include Manzoor backfired, for which I take the whole responsibility.”

Rasheed said Shehzad batted well in the last phase of the Pakistan Super League, staged in the UAE last month, scoring 290 runs in 10 games with a strike rate of 143.56 for Quetta Gladiators, who lost to Islamabad United in the final.

“We dropped Shehzad because of poor form in New Zealand but he did well in the PSL and we need experience in India,” Rashid added.

Pakistan begin their campaign against a qualifying nation in Kolkata on March 16, while they will also face India, New Zealand and Australia in Group 2.