Pakistan Squad For T20 World Cup 2021 Announced, Shoaib Malik Excluded
Veteran players like Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik have not been included in the side which will be led by Babar Azam
Mumbai: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 and T20Is against New Zealand and England.
Having qualified for the Super 12 already, the Men in Green will begin campaign with a marquee game against India on October 24 in Dubai. New Zealand, Afghanistan and two other qualifying teams are also in their group.
Veteran players like Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik have not been included in the side which will be led by Babar Azam.
The likes of Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez were the certainties and have made it to the squad. Interestingly, no back-up opener has been named in the 15-man squad while Fakhar Zaman is one of the three reserve players.
Sohaib Maqsood has made it to the line-up thanks to his consistent performances in the middle order during the second leg of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) played in Abu Dhabi. Maqsood was the third highest run-scorer overall this season, scoring 428 runs in 12 matches at an impressive strike rate of 156.78.
Veteran cricketer Shoaib Malik has been missing from the team since September 2020 for not playing for Pakistan in the format. Reportedly, skipper Babar Azam was in favor of Malik over his experience, but it seems the selectors have turned down his request. Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has also faced the ax after heating the bench for the past year or two.
Shahnawaz Dhani and Usman Qadir are the other reserve players who will travel with the squad. Other players who will take the flight to the UAE next month are Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf and Azam Khan. Azam has been impressive in the PSL off late and also made his debut for Pakistan on England tour earlier this year.
The same squad will face New Zealand and England in the upcoming bilateral series at home.
Here’s Pakistan’s squad for T20 World Cup: Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Azam Khan, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Sohaib Maqsood.
Reserve Player: Shahnawaz Dhani, Usman Qadir, Fakhar Zaman.
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