Pakistan Squad News: Who's In, Who's Out, and Why?

Injuries and Rests

Pakistan has been hit by a major blow as their star pacer Naseem Shah is likely to miss the entire World Cup due to a shoulder injury he sustained during the Asia Cup. Naseem was one of the leading wicket-takers in the tournament, with 11 wickets in six matches at an average of 18.09 and an economy rate of 5.45. He also took a hat-trick against Bangladesh in the group stage, becoming the youngest bowler to achieve this feat in international cricket.
Pakistan are also resting some of their key players for the Afghanistan T20I series, as they want to give them a break after a hectic schedule and also test some of their bench strength. Pakistan captain Babar Azam, along with Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi has been rested, while Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Khushdil Shah have been dropped. These nine players were part of the Pakistan squad that reached the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

New Faces and Comebacks

Pakistan has announced a fifteen-member squad for the Afghanistan T20I series, which includes some new faces and some old ones. The squad is as follows:
Shadab Khan (C), Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Zaman Khan.
Shadab Khan has been named as the captain for this series, as Babar Azam is rested. Shadab is an experienced all-rounder who can bat, bowl, and field well. He has played 54 T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 419 runs at an average of 16.76 and a strike rate of 121.99. He has also taken 59 wickets at an average of 22.35 and an economy rate of 7.74.
Abdullah Shafique is a promising young batsman who made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in November 2020. He scored a half-century on debut and impressed everyone with his technique and temperament. He has played four T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 110 runs at an average of 27.50 and a strike rate of 112.24.
Azam Khan is a hard-hitting batsman who is the son of former Pakistan captain and wicket-keeper Moin Khan. He has been making waves in domestic cricket and franchise leagues with his explosive batting style. He has played 36 T20 matches in his career, scoring 743 runs at an average of 21.22 and a strike rate of 157.41.
Faheem Ashraf is an all-rounder who can bowl fast-medium and bat lower down the order. He has been in good form recently, especially in Test cricket where he scored two half-centuries against South Africa in January 2021. He has played 35 T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 289 runs at an average of 16.05 and a strike rate of 131.36. He has also taken 36 wickets at an average of 22.86 and an economy rate of 8.04.
Iftikhar Ahmed is a middle-order batsman who can also bowl off-spin. He has been in and out of the Pakistan team since his debut in 2015. He has played nine T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 108 runs at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 120. He has also taken four wickets at an average of 14.75 and an economy rate of 6.
Ihsanullah is a left-handed opening batsman who has been performing well in domestic cricket and franchise leagues. He has played 38 T20 matches in his career, scoring 1019 runs at an average of 28.30 and a strike rate of 133.77.
Imad Wasim is an all-rounder who can bowl left-arm spin and bat in the lower middle order. He is one of the most experienced players in the squad, having played 54 T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 479 runs at an average of 21.77 and a strike rate of 123.45. He has also taken 48 wickets at an average of 25.93 and an economy rate of 6.14.
Mohammad Haris is a wicket-keeper batsman who has been selected as the backup for Mohammad Rizwan. He has played 18 T20 matches in his career, scoring 378 runs at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 138.68.
Mohammad Nawaz is an all-rounder who can bowl left-arm spin and bat in the lower middle order. He has played 19 T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 131 runs at an average of 13.10 and a strike rate of 113.79. He has also taken 14 wickets at an average of 32.64 and an economy rate of 7.06.
Mohammad Wasim Jnr is a fast bowler who made his T20I debut against South Africa in February 2021. He took two wickets in his first match and impressed everyone with his pace and accuracy. He has played two T20Is for Pakistan, taking three wickets at an average of 16.66 and an economy rate of 8.33.
Naseem Shah is a fast bowler who is one of the most exciting talents in Pakistan cricket. He made his Test debut at the age of 16 in November 2019 and became the youngest bowler to take a Test hat-trick in February 2020. He has played nine Tests for Pakistan, taking 20 wickets at an average of 37.45 and a strike rate of 60.5.
Saim Ayub is a left-handed opening batsman who has been performing well in domestic cricket and franchise leagues. He has played 15 T20 matches in his career, scoring 365 runs at an average of 24.33 and a strike rate of 123.81.
Shan Masood is a left-handed opening batsman who has been a regular member of the Test team since 2019. He scored three centuries in three consecutive Tests against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in late 2019 and early 2020. He has played two T20Is for Pakistan, scoring nine runs at an average of 4.50 and a strike rate of 64.28.
Tayyab Tahir is a right-handed opening batsman who has been performing well in domestic cricket and franchise leagues. He has played 29 T20 matches in his career, scoring 857 runs at an average of 32.96 and a strike rate of 136.34.
Zaman Khan is a fast bowler who has been performing well in domestic cricket and franchise leagues. He has played nine T20 matches in his career, taking nine wickets at an average of 23.88 and an economy rate of 8.

Expectations and Challenges

Pakistan have high expectations from their fans and themselves for the World Cup, as they are one of the most successful teams in the history of the event, having won it once in 2009 and reached the final twice in 2007 and 2022. Pakistan have a balanced squad with a mix of experience and youth, as well as variety in their batting and bowling departments.
However, Pakistan also faces some challenges, as they have to adapt to the conditions in India, where they have not played since the World Cup 2011 due to political tensions between the two countries. Pakistan also has to deal with the pressure and expectations from their fans and media, as well as the competition from other strong teams like India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Oman, Papua New Guinea and Scotland.
Pakistan will begin their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on October 6 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.