Babar returns as Pakistan name T20 World Cup squad despite tournament doubt

Uncertainty shrouds Pakistan’s information aft ICC expels Bangladesh from the tournament.

Former skipper Babar Azam has returned to Pakistan’s squad for the Twenty20 World ‍Cup, a ‍day aft their cricket committee main formed uncertainty implicit the team’s information successful the planetary showpiece, which begins connected February 7.

T20 regular Haris Rauf was dropped from the 15-man squad, led by Salman Ali Agha. It was announced connected Saturday contempt the uncertainty surrounding Pakistan’s plans for the World Cup.

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Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, besides the country’s interior ⁠minister, said the PCB was awaiting the ​government’s support earlier confirming the team’s information aft the International Cricket Council (ICC) kicked out Bangladesh implicit their refusal to play successful India.

Hours later, the PCB announced its squad for the tournament

However, main selector Aaqib Javed said the Pakistani authorities would marque ‍a last telephone connected whether the squad would question to Sri Lanka.

“Our occupation is to prime the team,” Javed said aft naming the squad successful Lahore, Pakistan. “We’ve announced the squad precise adjacent to the deadline.

“The authorities volition determine connected our participation, truthful I tin accidental thing connected that front. That’s what the president has said too, truthful we’ll hold for their decision.”

India volition ​host the bulk of the T20 World Cup ‌matches, but Pakistan volition play exclusively successful Sri Lanka due to the fact that of the fraught governmental relations betwixt New Delhi and Islamabad.

Bangladesh person been replaced by Scotland for their refusal ‌to circuit India owed to information concerns, which the ICC rejected past week.

In summation to Babar, spin-bowling all-rounder Shadab ⁠Khan and accelerated bowler Naseem Shah person besides returned, but determination was nary spot for wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan.

Pakistan’s selectors excluded accelerated bowler Mohammad Wasim from the 16-member squad announced for adjacent week’s three-match T20 bid against Australia successful Lahore.

They besides continued to disregard Rauf, who hasn’t played since competing successful the Asia Cup successful September but kept religion with struggling Babar, who scored 202 runs astatine a onslaught complaint of 103.06 successful 11 Big Bash League games portion opening the batting for Sydney Sixers.

“We don’t spot him opening the batting [at the World Cup],” caput manager Mike Hesson said. “He hasn’t opened the batting for america due to the fact that the quality to onslaught successful the powerplay is precise important.”

Hesson said Babar could travel successful useful connected dilatory pitches successful Sri Lanka, wherever Pakistan are scheduled to play each their games, including the playoffs if they beforehand successful the tournament.

“He [Babar] surely has the accomplishment to power the mediate overs if required and past to provender the onslaught to definite players,” Hesson said. “If we’re chasing a little score, helium surely has that quality to power a chase. … The conditions successful Australia are importantly antithetic than what we’re going to look successful Sri Lanka, truthful we factored each those things in.”

Hesson said the selectors preferred the 3 accelerated bowlers – Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Mirza and Naseem Shah – aft taking into relationship their abilities to vessel successful each 3 T20 phases.

With the wickets apt to suit spinners, Pakistan included 4 spinners: Mohammad Nawaz, Khan, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq.

Pakistan play their opening Group A lucifer against the Netherlands connected February 7, followed by matches against the United States (February 10), India (February 15) and Namibia (February 18).

Pakistan squad: Salman Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, ‍Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq