The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on August 9, 2023, has announced the national squads for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan and the Asia Cup 2023 tournament which will begin from August 30.
Pakistan has been placed in the same group as Nepal and India in Asia Cup 2023 which sees four matches to be played in Pakistan and the rest of the tournament being held in Sri Lanka, including all of the Indian team’s matches and the final on September 17.
The 18-member squad was chosen by the new national men’s selection committee headed by Inzamam Ul Haq. Pakistan will take on Afghanistan in Sri Lanka from 22 till 26 August and it will be trimmed to 17 players for the Asia Cup, which begins from the Multan Cricket Stadium on 30 August when Pakistan plays Nepal.
Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, and Saud Shakeel have been included in the squad for the Afghanistan series. Shan Masood and Ihsanullah are the two players from the squad that played New Zealand in the five ODIs in April and May to miss out.
“Preference has been given to Faheem Ashraf, since the squad doesn’t have another allrounder. If you look at PSL and other tournaments, we need an allrounder, he is a fast-bowling allrounder, which we need at the World Cup,” Inzamam was quoted by PCB website.
Tayyab Tahir, who stroked a brilliant century in the final of the Emerging team’s Asia Cup 2023, received his second call-up to the Pakistan ODI side. Saud Shakeel, who does not feature in the Asia Cup squad, has played five ODIs and his last was in March 2022 when Pakistan chased down 348 against Australia with six wickets in hand in Lahore.
Shan Masood’s Performances Have Gone Down: Inzamam Ul Haq
Shan Masood, who was appointed ODI vice-captain in January this year, has been left out of the 18-man Pakistan squads for the upcoming series against Afghanistan in Sri Lanka as well as the Asia Cup.
On Masood, Inzamam said, “Shan has performed very well. Unfortunately, his performances have gone down. We have a list of 20-21 players, and Shan is part of that. But Saud Shakeel and a couple of other players were impressive recently, so we have to leave out Shan. But he is a part of our plans.”
The team will assemble in Hambantota on 18 August with the players in Pakistan departing on 17 August. The players in Pakistan will hold a three-day camp on 14, 15 and 16 August at the National Cricket Academy, Lahore.
Pakistan ODI squad: Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Haris, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim
? Our squad for the Afghanistan series and Asia Cup ?
Read more: https://t.co/XtjcVAmDV7#AFGvPAK | #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/glpVWF6oWW
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 9, 2023