After hours of speculation, Pakistan on Friday evening announced their 15-player squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, with Babar Azam leading the Men in Green in the marquee event scheduled to kick off on June 1. The mega tournament will be held in the USA and the West Indies.
The announcement comes hours after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi halted the formal announcement of the squad for the T20 World Cup, as reported by Geo News sources. Earlier in the day, Naqvi had expressed displeasure over selectors not holding a meeting to discuss the players for the marquee event.
Out of the 15 players names of whom were declared by the PCB today, five, including Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Saim Ayub and Usman Khan, will make their maiden appearance in the upcoming ICC tournament. (PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi Stops Pakistan’s T20 World Cup Squad Announcement – Report)
“This is an extremely talented and balanced side that has a mixture of youth and experience. These players have been playing together for some time and look well-prepared and settled for next month’s event. This is an extremely talented and balanced side that has a mixture of youth and experience. These players have been playing together for some time and look well prepared and settled for next month’s event,” PCB said in a statement.
The statement also provided an injury update on Haris Rauf, with a declaration about the speedster’s full recovery. The PCB is hopeful that he will play a crucial role for Pakistan in the upcoming tournament.
Rauf made his last appearance for the Asian Giants in January and had been on the sidelines after suffering a shoulder injury during a match in the Pakistan Super League.
“Haris Rauf is fully fit and bowling well in the nets. It would have been nice if he had gotten an outing at Headingley, but we remain confident that he will continue to maintain an upward trajectory in the upcoming matches, as he will have an important role to play along with other strike bowlers in the T20 World Cup,” PCB added.
After inclusion of Rauf, there is no space left for right-arm seamer, Hasan Ali, in the 15-player squad. Ali was recently released from Pakistan’s squad for their ongoing T20I tour of England.
The Men in Green will kick off their campaign against the USA on June 6. They will face arch-rival India on June 9 at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York.
Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan
Player support personnel: Wahab Riaz (senior team manager), Mansoor Rana (team manager), Gary Kirsten (head coach), Azhar Mahmood (assistant coach), Simon Helmot (fielding coach), David Reid (mental performance coach), Aftab Khan (high-performance coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Irtaza Komail (chief security officer), Mohammad Imran (masseur), Mohammad Khurram Sarwar (team doctor), Talha Ijaz (analyst), Raza Kitchlew (media and digital manager) and Drikus Saaiman (strength and conditioning coach). (ANI)