Pakistan announces its 15-man squad for T20 World Cup 2021
T20 World Cup 2021: Pakistan Names-A 15-Man Squad, With Babar Azam as Captain. The Pakistan Cricket Board named a 15-member team on Monday for the T20I series against New Zealand and England, as well as the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 later this year.
Babar Azam is the new captain of T-20 World Cup 2021
In terms of the squad, Babar Azam will captain the team as predicted, with Mohammad Rizwan serving as his deputy throughout the tournament. Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Hafeez were the safe bets, and they have all made the squad. Fakhar Zaman is one of the three reserve players, but no backup opener has been chosen in the 15-man roster.
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Sohaib Maqsood has been promoted to the starting lineup after a dominant performance in the middle order during the second leg of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Abu Dhabi. Maqsood was the third-best run-scorer in the league this season, with 428 runs scored in 12 matches at a strike rate of 156.78.
Shoaib Malik is not included in the T20 World cup 2021 squad
Shoaib Malik, a seasoned cricketer who hasn’t played for Pakistan in the format since September 2020, is absent from the team. According to reports, skipper Babar Azam favored Malik because of his expertise, but it appears that the selectors have turned against his request. Sarfaraz Ahmed, the former captain, has also been dropped after spending most of the previous year on the bench.
Other reserve players who will go with the squad include Shahnawaz Dhani and Usman Qadir. Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, and Azam Khan are among the players who will go to the UAE next month. Azam has been a standout in the PSL recently, and he also earned his Pakistan debut on the England tour earlier this year.
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Muhammad Wasim promises Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah’s performances
Commenting on their inclusion, 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.”
Furthermore, he said, “They are the best in the available pool of middle-order batsmen and we remain confident that they will provide our solutions to our middle-order difficulties through solid performances.”
Pakistan will begin their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign against India on October 24 in Dubai, led by captain Babar Azam. On the 26th of October, they will face New Zealand in Sharjah before returning to Dubai to face Afghanistan. In their last two Super 12 matches, they will face the Group A runners-up and the Group B table-toppers from Round 1 in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, respectively.
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