Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket selectors, headed by former Test batsman Mohammad Wasim, on Monday recalled all-rounders Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz to a 16-member Pakistan squad named for next month’s one-day international series against the West Indies. The West Indies series is part of the ODI Super League, a qualifying round for the 2023 World Cup in India. Shadab, 23, and the 28-year-old Nawaz were part of Pakistan’s Twenty20 series against the West Indies in December but have since been out of action with injury. There is also a call-up for top-order batsman Abdullah Shafique. The West Indies series will be played without a bio-secure bubble in place, so the PCB has done away with the policy of naming an extended squad. Though there was no bubble in place for the Australia series either, several injury concerns in the squad had forced Pakistan to carry 21 players. The three-match series against the Windies will be staged in Rawalpindi on June 8, 10 and 12. The ODIs were initially slated as part of the West Indies’ 2021 tour of Pakistan but were postponed after a spate of Covid-19 cases in the visitors’ camp.

As the series will not be played in a Managed Event Environment, the selectors decided to reduce the 21-player squad for the home Australia ODIs to 16 players and those left out of the squad from next month’s matches are Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Haider Ali and Usman Qadir. Saud Shakeel was not considered as he is scheduled to undergo a surgery for sinusitis. The 16-man squad will assemble in Rawalpindi on June 1 for a training camp although English County Championship players Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan and Shadab Khan will join later. The games are slotted for Rawalpindi, but the PCB has kept Multan as a back-up as Islamabad — the country’s capital, adjacent to Rawalpindi — is likely to be the centre for deposed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political rally starting May 25.

“As the ODIs against the West Indies are part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 qualification, we have decided to give best chance to our side to collect maximum points and strengthen our chances of progressing directly for the pinnacle 50-over tournament,” chief selector Wasim said in a statement. “We have retained the same core of players as in the series against Australia so they further establish themselves in the format. I hope this bunch will continue the form they gained from the Australia series.” Pakistan won that three-ODI series 2-1 before losing the one-off T20I. “Usman Qadir along with Asif Ali and Haider Ali remain in our plans for the shortest format as we have a series of T20Is lined up this year, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022,” Wasim added.

The squad includes three openers in Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman and Imamul Haq, three middle-order batsmen in Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah, two wicketkeeper/batsmen in Mohammad Haris and Mohammad Rizwan, two spin all-rounders Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan with Zahid Mahmood as a wrist spinner and five fast bowlers in Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shahnawaz Dahani. Pakistan boasts three batsmen inside the top-15 of ICC Player Rankings with Babar Azam sitting on top of the tree, followed by third-ranked Imamul Haq and 12th-ranked Fakhar Zaman. Amongst the bowlers, Shaheen Shah Afridi is the highest-ranked player in seventh position.

Squad:

Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imamul Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahid Mahmood.