The head of the national men’s selection committee, Inzamam-ul-Haq announced the squad that will compete in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023 and the One-Day International series that will be played against Afghanistan.
After playing Afghanistan in Sri Lanka from the 22nd to the 26th of August with an 18-player team, Pakistan will pare the roster down to 17 players in preparation for the Asia Cup 2023, which will begin at the Multan Cricket Stadium on the 30th of August when Pakistan play Nepal.
Pakistan’s Squad For Asia Cup 2023
🚨 Our squad for the Afghanistan series and Asia Cup 🚨
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 9, 2023
Read more: https://t.co/XtjcVAmDV7#AFGvPAK | #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/glpVWF6oWW
Openers: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, and Abdullah Shafique were the first three batters to face the ball.
Middle Order: Babar Azam, who also serves as captain, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Tayyab Tahir, and Saud Shakeel (just for the Afghanistan series) make up the middle order for the team.
Wicketkeeper: Muhammad Rizwan and Mohammad Haris are the two wicketkeepers for this team.
Spinner: Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, and Usama Mir were the three spinners for the team. Khan was the vice-captain.
Pacer: Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr., Naseem Shah, Faheem Ashraf, and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the pacers for this team.
In preparation for the next series against Afghanistan, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, and Saud Shakeel have been added to the squad. Ihsanullah and Shan Masood are the only two players from the squad that competed against New Zealand in the five one-day internationals in April and May who did not make the cut.
After an absence of two years, Faheem is back with the team, and his addition as a fast bowling all-rounder strengthens the squad’s overall composition. His final appearance in the format came in July of 2021 when Pakistan played England in an away series consisting of three matches.
This is Tayyab’s second time being selected for the ODI team. After an outstanding performance in the Pakistan Cup 2022-23, in which he finished as the competition’s leading run-scorer, he was given his first call-up to the national team prior to the three One-Day Internationals that were played against New Zealand in January. Recently, the right-handed middle-order batter scored a dazzling century, which was the driving force behind Pakistan Shaheens’ crushing victory over India A in the ACC Men’s Emerging Cup final. Pakistan Shaheens won by a margin of 128 runs.
Saud, who is not included in the Asia Cup roster, has appeared in five One-Day Internationals; his most recent game came in March 2022, at Lahore, when Pakistan was attempting to chase down 348 runs with six wickets in hand against Australia.
Shan was not chosen for the team because of his recent poor performance, and Ihsanullah is currently participating in a rehabilitation program after suffering an injury to his bowling elbow. The program is being overseen by the medical panel of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The players who are now in Pakistan will leave on the 17th, at which point the rest of the team will meet up in Hambantota. On August 14, 15, and 16, the players in Pakistan will gather at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore for a camp that will last for three days.
Please take note, editors:
Consultations between Pakistan captain Babar Azam and the national men’s selection committee, which also comprises Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn, and Hassan Cheema (secretary), resulted in the finalization of the team.
Players who are currently competing in The Hundred and the Lankan Premier League will report to the squad on the 18th of August directly in Sri Lanka.
