CWC 2019: Five contentious selection calls by Pakistan
As the World Cup draws closer, teams have started announcing their squads for the mega event. Fans anxiously wait for this event which takes place every four years and expect their team to announce the best possible squad before the tournament begins.
On April 18, Pakistan announced their 15-man squad for the mega event which has a good mix of batsmen, bowlers, and all-rounders.
One major surprise was the exclusion of wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan from the squad, as the youngster had performed exceptionally well in the recently concluded series against Australia. With wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed also being Pakistan team’s captain, it seems like the board isn’t ready to include another wicket-keeper.
Apart from that, there are at least five areas of concern in the selection process for such a big event. In this article, we will look at the five seemingly weak points in the Pakistani squad for the biggest cricketing event of the year.
#1 Omission of Asif Ali
Hailing from Faisalabad, Punjab, the 27-year-old hard-hitting batsman made a name for himself in the Pakistan Super League for Islamabad United. He was a key factor in the team’s victory in the PSL.
After getting noticed by selectors, he was included into the Pakistani T20I and ODI squads in July 2018 against Zimbabwe.
While Asif Ali hasn’t batted much in internationals yet, he has shown us glimpses of what he can do if given a proper chance. He’s the hard-hitting lower order batsman which Pakistan has been lacking since almost a decade now, and has the temperament and potential to become a regular for the team.
In T20Is and ODIs, Ali has a strike rate of over 130, and a decent average for a lower-order batsman.
With Pakistan often taking a slow start in ODIs or losing a few wickets in the first ten overs, they really need a batsman who can come in late and hit a few to increase the overall run rate.