ICC World Cup 2019: Pakistan announce 15-member squad for the tournament
Pakistan Cricket Board have announced the 15-member squad for upcoming ICC World Cup 2019.
The selection committee headed by the former cricketer, Inzamam Ul Haq made some shocking exclusions to the squad. There were also a few youngsters who made it to the team, much to the surprise of the fans.
The major exclusion was that of Mohammad Amir as the pacer couldn't find a place in the squad. There were several deliberations about his place in the side, however, the board decided to rather go with another experienced campaigner, Junaid Khan.
The 15-member squad will be led by Sarfaraz Ahmed. He steered Pakistan to the Champions Trophy title a couple of years back in England and will hope to take Pakistan deep into the World Cup this year.
The experienced duo of Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez have also made the cut. They have been in and out of the team in recent times. Considering the lack of balance in their batting, Pakistan have decided to stick with the duo.
Apart from them, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, and Imam-Ul-Haq be the backbone of Pakistan's batting lineup. The inclusion of youngster Abid Ali, who has had a dream start to his international career recently, will add further variety in the Sarfaraz Ahmed's side.
Despite the exclusion of Mohammad Amir, Pakistan's bowling attack looks quite strong on paper. The likes of Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Junaid Khan and newbie Mohammad Hasnain make the Men in Green one of the best fast bowling lineups in the tournament.
Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan will be heading the spin department while Faheem Ashraf, the bowling all-rounder, will also be a vital cog in the squad.
Pakistan's squad for the World Cup: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-Ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Abid Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Sohail