The pair missed Pakistan’s recent tours of England and West Indies but have been included in the 15-man squad. Sharjeel Khan and Faheem Ashraf miss out
Men's T20 World Cup 2021 groups announced
Pakistan have named their 15-man squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah are the surprise inclusions in the squad after both players missed Pakistan’s recent tours of England and West Indies. 29-year-old Ali’s last international outing was against Zimbabwe in April while Shah hasn’t represented his country since February.
However, there is no place in the squad, which will be led by Babar Azam, for Sharjeel Khan or Faheem Ashraf.
Sarfaraz Ahmed also misses out with Pakistan opting to select Azam Khan as their back-up wicketkeeper. The 23-year-old only made his T20I debut against England in July but 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.
Khushdil Shah (L) returns to Pakistan's squad; Azam Khan (R) travels as back-up wicketkeeper
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.
Pakistan’s squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Azam Khan, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohaib Maqsood
Reserves: Fakhar Zaman, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir
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Posted by abdul sattar hashmi on 07/09/2021 at 12:28
Hail fell as soon as I shaved my head Raja Sahib, there is still time ... change the Team Abdul Sattar Hashmi,Lahore Rameez Raja has not formally taken charge of the post of Chairman PCB but he has taken all the matters into his own hands. Pakistan team has been announced to participate in 20 World Cup, 2021. When the chief selector Mohammad Waseem read out the team formed by Rameez Raja, he was severely criticized. Some people will say that how can Rameez Raja be consulted in forming this team? He has not taken charge yet but I think I have this childish argument. The team has made an announcement of their will on which it can be said that hail will fall as soon as they shave their heads. Six days ago, in a one-on-one meeting between Muhammad Waseem and Rameez Raja, Rameez wrote the team on a piece of paper and held Muhammad Waseem's hand and asked him to announce this squad and he did so. Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis did not have to bother to get out, but both of them left on their own. Expressing his reservations, the resignation hit on waseem khan’s face and he left for Mianwali. At the same time, Waqar Younis also said goodbye. Misbah-ul-Haq's repetition had not stopped when captain Babar Azam called Rameez Raja twice and complained that he was not consulted while forming the team. He has an objection to the selection of several members of the new team. Hearing this objection, Raja Sahib had to come to the High Performance Center.. All the commentators are shocked and agree that there has never been a worse selection in the history of Pakistan. This was to happen. Earlier, in 2003-04, Rameez Raja was replaced by Chishti Mujahid as the Chief Executive of the Board.. We lost the Test series to India by two to one while we lost 3-2 in the ODI series. There was an echo of match-fixing in the same series. Many officials and fellow players of the team cut board had filed a petition against him in the NAB. Now that he is back with full powers, he is being criticized over the first assignment. His sincere advice is that there is still time, the team list has to be submitted to the ICC by September 10. Before that, changes are possible. You can also change one or two members after that. The players that you did not take to England and West Indies, you added to the national team after a long time and those who should have been part of this squad, became part of them. So that something can be seen in the team. This competition is not against any one team, 15 teams of the world are competing.
Posted by abdul sattar hashmi on 07/09/2021 at 10:19
The absence of Shoaib Malik, Fakhr Zaman and Sharjeel Khan in the World Cup will have to be paid for. Muhammad Hafeez is being tested in the name of experience in the whole team. It could have been better if all three were in the team. Shoaib Malik's form and playing too much cricket may be objectionable but how can you ignore his strike rate of 130.7 in league cricket.
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