The Pakistan Cricket Board announced a 15 man squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2021 to be played in UAE and Oman in October and November this year. The team, which would be led by Babar Azam won’t feature experienced players like Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir, all of whom have been ignored for the ultimate tournament. The three are currently playing their trade in the Caribbean Premier League 2021.
While Malik and Riaz were available for selection, Amir had clarified earlier that he would not play for Pakistan till the time the coaching and management staff remained in place.
Along with 15 members in the squad, three receive players have also been announced, which includes the emerging player of 2021 Pakistan Super League Shahnawaz Dahani, experienced batter Fakhar Zaman and leg spinner Usman Qadir.
Among the 15 members of the squad, Azam Khan, the son of former wicket-keeper batter Moeen Khan, Player of the Tournament, PSL 2021, Sohaib Maqsoood, Islamabad United’s Mohammad Wasim Jr and Multan Sultan’s all-rounder Khusdil Shah are the key inexperienced faces.
Announcing the squad, Muhammad Wasim, the chief selector of the men's team said, "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. This includes trusting the abilities, skills and experience of the players to perform in a high-pressure global tournament in conditions that are familiar to us, as well as looking at the teams we will play in Group-2 matches."
Pakistan have been put in the Group -2 of the Super 12 stage where they will play arch-rivals India along with New Zealand, neighbours Afghanistan and two teams that would qualify after the Qualifying round of the tournament which begins on October 17.
Squad
Babar Azam (captain, Central Punjab), Shadab Khan (vice-captain, Northern), Asif Ali (Northern), Azam Khan (wicketkeeper, Southern Punjab), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Imad Wasim (Northern), Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Mohammad Hafeez (Central Punjab), Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Sohaib Maqsood (Southern Punjab)