Pakistan on Friday evening announced their 15-player squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, with Babar Azam leading the Men in Green in the marquee event scheduled to kick off on June 1.
The mega tournament will be held in the USA and the West Indies.
Out of the 15 players name, five, including Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Saim Ayub and Usman Khan, will make their maiden appearance in the upcoming ICC tournament.
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“This is an extremely talented and balanced side that has a mixture of youth and experience. These players have been playing together for some time and look well-prepared and settled for next month’s event. This is an extremely talented and balanced side that has a mixture of youth and experience. These players have been playing together for some time and look well prepared and settled for next month’s event,” PCB said in a statement.
The statement also provided an injury update on Haris Rauf, with a declaration about the speedster’s full recovery. The PCB is hopeful that he will play a crucial role for Pakistan in the upcoming tournament.
Rauf made his last appearance for the Asian giants in January and had been on the sidelines after suffering a shoulder injury during a match in the Pakistan Super League.
“Haris Rauf is fully fit and bowling well in the nets. It would have been nice if he had gotten an outing at Headingley, but we remain confident that he will continue to maintain an upward trajectory in the upcoming matches, as he will have an important role to play along with other strike bowlers in the T20 World Cup,” PCB added.
There is no place for right-arm seamer Hasan Ali in the 15-player squad. Ali was recently released from Pakistan’s squad for their ongoing T20I tour of England.
The Men in Green will kick off their campaign against the USA on June 6. They will face arch-rivals India on June 9 at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York.
Squad
Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan. Coach: Gary Kirsten.