Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup: The Pakistani selection committee has announced 15 players and three reserves for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
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Pakistan have announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC T20I World Cup 2021 to be held in the UAE. Readers must note that the same 15 players will take part in Pakistan T20I series against New Zealand and England which will be played in the build-up to the world event at home.
Pakistan, who are in Group 2 of Round 2 of the World Cup alongside India, New Zealand, Afghanistan and two other teams who will qualify from Round 1, have given the impression of compromising on their batting strength by omitting Fakhar Zaman and Sharjeel Khan from the squad.
Zaman, who has played 53 out of Pakistan’s 71 T20Is since the ICC World Twenty20 2016, is doubtlessly their biggest omission but will travel with the squad as a reserve. Sharjeel, on the other hand, had made a comeback into the shortest format after half-a-decade earlier this year but hasn’t been able to convince the selectors with respect to the World Cup.
Everything aside,why exactly is Fakhar Zaman in the reserves squad? If current form is the reason then that reason can also be applicable to a lot of other players currently part of the squad. #WCsquad
— zainab abbas (@ZAbbasOfficial) September 6, 2021
“While selecting the squad, we have tried to cover all our bases by catering for the modern day brand of T20 cricket that will be required to perform impressively in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” Pakistan Chief Selector Muhammad Wasim said in a statement.
Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup
In addition to five specialist batsmen, Pakistan have also named a couple of specialist wicket-keeper batsmen namely Mohammad Rizwan and Azam Khan. The development means that former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has been dropped after traveling with the white-team as a reserve keeper for sometime now.
“Azam Khan is an aggressive and attacking batter who also keeps wickets, a combination that has earned him the selectors’ nod ahead of Sarfaraz Ahmed,” Wasim added.
Another massive call taken by the Pakistani selectors is including Mohammad Wasim Jr for Faheem Ashraf as a specialist fast-bowling all-rounder. Much like Zaman, Ashraf had also been a regular member of Pakistan’s T20I squad playing on 42 occasions since his debut in 2017.
“Mohammad Wasim Junior has been preferred over Faheem Ashraf due to his pace and ability to hit big shots. Wasim will bolster the fast bowling unit, which comprises Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Shaheen Shah Afridi,” Wasim further said.
In the presence of three genuine spin-bowling all-rounders in vice-captain Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim and Mohammad Nawaz, Pakistan haven’t named any specialist spinner in their squad.
Pakistan World T20 squad – Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Asif Ali, Sohaib Maqsood, Azam Khan (wk), Khusdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Harris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hasnain.
Reserves – Fakhar Zaman, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir.
