“We have tried to cover all our bases by catering for modern day brand of T20 cricket that will be required to perform strongly in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” says Muhammad Wasim

LAHORE   -  Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the 15-member squad led by Babar Azam for the upcoming Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand and England, and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. 

There were a couple of surprises in the middle-order batsmen Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah getting late call-ups despite not having form by their side while the likes of Shoaib Malik and Sarfaraz Ahmed missed out. Both Asif and Khushdil missed Pakistan’s recent tours of England and West Indies. Twenty-year-old Asif’s last international outing was against Zimbabwe in April while Khushdil hasn’t represented his country since February. 

There is also no place in the squad for Sharjeel Khan or Faheem Ashraf. Sarfaraz Ahmed also missed out with Pakistan opting to select Azam Khan as their back-up wicketkeeper. Twenty-year-old Azam only made his T20I debut against England in July but he is developing a reputation as a destructive middle-order batsman in both the Pakistan Super League and National T20 Cup. Fakhar Zaman, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir have been named as travelling reserves. 

Explaining his decisions, Chief Selector Muhammad Wasim said: “Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah may not have impressive numbers against their names but hardly anyone can doubt their tremendous talent and prowess. “They are the best in the available pool of middle-order batsmen and we remain confident that they will provide us solutions to our middle-order difficulties through solid performances. “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.”

Addressing Pakistan’s chances to claim their second World T20 crown, he continued: “Our impressive record in the United Arab Emirates, clubbed with the talent we have in our ranks and the well-planned preparations gives me significant confidence that we will perform well in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. All the players now need to do is not to get overawed by the occasion, continue to keep faith in their abilities and try to give something extra each time they step onto the field.” Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign begins on October 24 when they face India in the UAE.

The 15-player squad includes five batters (Asif Ali, Babar Azam, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez and Sohaib Maqsood), two wicketkeeper-batters (Azam Khan and Mohammad Rizwan), four all-rounders (Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Shadab Khan) and four fast bowlers (Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Shaheen Shah Afridi). The travelling reserves are Fakhar Zaman, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir.