Pakistan has revealed their 15-player squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, scheduled to take place in India during October and November. The selection committee, led by Inzamam-ul-Haq, prioritized consistency and confidence in the current group of players. Notably, only one change was made from the squad that participated in the recent Men’s ODI Asia Cup 2023.
The alteration in the squad was necessitated by a shoulder injury suffered by fast bowler Naseem Shah during a match against India on September 11th during the Asia Cup. As a result, he had to be replaced by Hasan Ali. After conducting comprehensive medical evaluations and consulting with prominent medical experts, it was determined that Naseem would need to undergo surgery. It is anticipated that he will require three to four months to recover.
The Pakistan squad for the World Cup consists of the following players: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Usama Mir.
Additionally, the selection panel has designated three reserve players who will be traveling with the team: wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris, enigmatic spinner Abrar Ahmed, and fast bowler Zaman Khan.
Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq said: “World Cup is the most important event in any cricketer’s life and I want to congratulate all the cricketers who have made it to the squad through their impressive performances. This team has performed wonderfully well over the last couple of years and that is why we have shown faith in the same bunch.
“We were forced to make one change because of an unfortunate injury to Naseem Shah. We had a few injury scares in the recent Asia Cup, but I am glad to share that all the players are fully fit and are eager to perform for their country in the all-important tournament. I have received encouraging reports from our medical panel about Haris Rauf. He has started to (shadow) bowl at the National Cricket Academy and will be available for selection.
“I have a firm belief that this squad can bring the World Cup trophy to Pakistan and make the whole nation proud with their incredible performances. It is time to get behind our team and provide them with the backing and support that they need.”
Pakistan is set to engage in two warm-up matches in preparation for the upcoming tournament. They will face New Zealand on September 29th and Australia on October 3rd before their official tournament kick-off against the Netherlands on October 6th.
Heading into the mega-event, Babar Azam’s team holds the top spot in the rankings and boasts the most impressive win/loss ratio of 2.400 in this World Cup cycle among all the teams that have participated in the One-Day International format.
In the 2019 edition of the tournament, Pakistan narrowly missed securing a semi-final berth due to a lower net run rate compared to New Zealand, who ultimately emerged as runners-up. Pakistan’s most notable achievement in the history of the World Cup came in the 1992 edition when they clinched the championship at the MCG after defeating England. They also reached the final in the 1999 edition and made it to the semi-finals in 1979, 1983, 1987, and 2011.
