Lahore September 22 2023 : Fast bowler Hasan Ali has been added to Pakistan’s ODI World Cup squad in place of the injured Naseem Shah, who is set for a lengthy layoff.
Pakistan have also brought in an extra legspinner in Usama Mir, who made his ODI debut earlier this year against New Zealand but was not part of the Asia Cup squad. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim Jnr make up the remainder of Pakistan’s pace attack, while Mohammad Haris is among the reserves. Spin-bowling allrounder Mohammad Nawaz also keeps his place in the side, while Faheem Ashraf misses out.
Hasan last played an ODI in June 2022 and last played for Pakistan in the second Test against New Zealand in Karachi in January this year.
Pakistan’s World Cup squad announcement was delayed by several days as the PCB took stock of a disappointing Asia Cup campaign where they finished bottom of the Super Four group, following defeats to India and Sri Lanka. The board also waited on a second opinion on Naseem’s injury prognosis, though positive news on that front has not been forthcoming.
The PCB released a statement on Thursday saying chairman Zaka Ashraf had met the captain Babar Azam, vice-captain Shadab, technical committee members Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez, as well as head coach Grant Bradburn and bowling coach Morne Morkel. While the details of any discussions was left vague, it appears there were lengthy deliberations on the make-up of the World Cup squad amid intense speculation around both the timing and nature of Pakistan’s squad announcement. As a further point of intrigue, Hafeez resigned from the technical committee on the eve of the squad release.
Despite currently being ranked as the No. 1 ODI side, Pakistan’s lead-up to the World Cup has been rocky over the past fortnight. A heavy loss to India and an agonising one against Sri Lanka got them eliminated from an Asia Cup where multiple trips between Pakistan and Sri Lanka took their toll. Injuries also began to mount, with Naseem and Haris both missing games, while Shaheen, Salman Ali Agha and Imam-ul-Haq also had niggles and bruises to contend with.
Pakistan begin their World Cup campaign with a warm-up match behind closed doors against New Zealand on September 29, followed by another against Australia on October 3. Their first game of the tournament is against Netherlands on October 6 in Hyderabad.
Pakistan squad for World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Hasan Ali
Reserve Player : Abrar Ahmed, Muhammad Haris and Zaman Khan
