Pakistan announced their squad for the 2023 World Cup earlier today. Fast bowler Naseem Shah missed out on a place in the World Cup team owing to an injury. The Pakistan selectors have picked Hasan Ali in his place. Babar Azam will be leading the Men in Green. Here is their full squad:
Pakistan Squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr.
The Men in Green have six same players from the 2019 World Cup squad that narrowly missed out on a place in the semifinals. Here’s a list of those six names:
1. Babar Azam will captain Pakistan in 2023 World Cup
Babar Azam was Pakistan’s best batter in the 2019 WC. The right-handed batter scored 474 runs in eight matches. He maintained a batting average of 67.71 and recorded one century and three half-centuries.
2. Imam-ul-Haq will play in 2023 World Cup for Pakistan
Left-handed batter Imam-ul-Haq will open the batting for Pakistan. Imam scored 305 runs in eight matches of the previous mega event in 2019.
3. Fakhar Zaman will play in 2023 World Cup for Pakistan
Another left-handed opening batter to feature on the list is Fakhar Zaman. He has struggled for form recently, but in the 2019 WC, he scored 227 runs in eight matches.
4. Hasan Ali
Fast bowler Hasan Ali has made a surprise return to the Pakistan squad. He played four matches in the 2019 WC, where he scored 43 runs and picked up two wickets.
5. Shadab Khan
All-rounder Shadab Khan bagged nine wickets in seven matches of the 2019 WC. Khan scored 43 runs in seven matches. He is the vice-captain in 2023 WC.
6. Shaheen Afridi
Fast bowler Shaheen Afridi is the last name to feature on the list. The left-arm fast bowler took just 16 wickets in just five matches of the 2019 WC. He will be the key pacer for Pakistan in 2023 WC.
