The Asia Cup 2023 is all set to begin on August 30 with a match between Pakistan and Nepal in Multan. This will see six teams compete against each other, while Sri Lanka is the defending champion. India, Pakistan, and Nepal are slotted in Group A, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan are in Group B.
On Wednesday, August 9, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming tournament. Notably, Pakistan will play a three-match ODI series before the Asia Cup, which will start on August 22 in Sri Lanka.
However, the announced squad saw some big names get dropped. Babar Azam will be leading the team, with Shadab Khan as vice captain. The notable name to miss out on the squad is Shan Masood. Former Pakistani skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq joined as the chairman of the selection committee on Monday.
The squad saw the entry of Saud Shakeel, who has been outstanding with the test team. However, he will be part of the team for Afghanistan’s ODIs and will not be part of the Asia Cup. Some new faces have also joined the team. Tayyab Tahir, who smashed a century in the final of the Emerging Asia Cup 2023 against India A, is also part of the team.
🚨 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
Apart from him, Usama Mir is also part of the team. The top order will see the trio of Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, and Babar. The mega clash between India and Pakistan will take place on September 2 in Pallekele.
Every team will play two matches in the group stage, and the top two teams from both groups will qualify for the Super 4s. Earlier, the tournament was scheduled to take place in Pakistan, but now they will host four matches while Sri Lanka will host the other games.
Pakistan’s squad for Asia Cup: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim
