The next 20 overs of Cricket World Cup 2024 will be the 9th edition of World Cup Cricket and will be played in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA). This marks a significant milestone as it will be the inaugural occasion for the USA to host a major ICC event, while the West Indies will be hosting the tournament for the second time since 2010.
20 teams will participate in this highly anticipated event, which will be split into four groups, competing for the beautiful trophy and the final will be played on 29 June in Barbados.
Pakistan emerges as one of the favourites to seize the title for the second time. During a press conference, Pakistan T20 Captain Shaheen Afridi revealed that Pakistan has finalized their squad of 20 players for this monumental event, and we discussed the potential T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
Will Shaheen Captain the T20 World Cup 2024?
After the appointment of the new chairman, Mr Syed Mohsin Naqvi, a lot of changes are expected, especially in management. Earlier, the Director of Pakistan cricket, Mohammad Hafeez, resigned from his post. Media reports suggest that Mohsin Naqvi will be in favour of foreign coaches.
Following Hafeez’s resignation, some reports are circulating that Babar Azam could again become the captain of Pakistan. However, it is not confirmed whether Babar will return as the full-format captain or in a limited capacity. Nevertheless, after this news, the captaincy of the recently appointed Shaheen Afridi is in danger. The question remains whether the PCB will stick with Shaheen until the T20 World Cup or not.
Interesting to Read: What’s Coming for Pakistan: Pakistan Cricket Team 2024 Schedule
Top Order
The Riz-Bar (Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam) combination of Team Pakistan is one of the best duos in the world as they won many matches single-handedly on many occasions. Many of them are above 150+ targets and they chesed comfortably. But the then management of team Pakistan wanted to change this pair and they changed it which badly failed in New Zealand. However, Rizwan will likely open with Saim Ayub in the T20 World Cup 2024 and Babar will bat at no. three which Babar performed well in the recent T20 series. Sahibzad Farhan is also in contention after his great performances in domestic cricket.
Middle Order
The middle order of Pakistan in the T20s is becoming a major concern for the team. In a recent series, Pakistan’s middle order has faltered significantly, except for Fakhar Zaman. No other player has managed to make an impact in this crucial department. Iftikhar Ahmed’s poor form is particularly troubling, especially during the final overs. However, the team management is inclined to persist with Iftikhar due to his strong performances in the middle overs; a few setbacks cannot overshadow his potential match-winning innings.
Mohammad Haris, who was not selected for the New Zealand tour, is likely to make a return to the T20 World Cup 2024 squad. Additionally, Azam Khan and Shan Masood are being considered as potential candidates for bolstering the middle order.
Spinners
As the next T20 World Cup will be played in the USA, and West Indies pitches are expected to favour spinners, there is no doubt that spinners will play a significant role in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. Therefore, Team Pakistan will prioritize the selection of spinners in these conditions. Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz are Pakistan’s first-choice spinners in the playing XI. Usama Mir and Abrar Ahmad are competitors for spots on the team.
Fast Bowlers
As Pakistan is renowned as a ‘Production Factory of Fast Bowlers,’ there are numerous options for the Pakistan team, particularly in these conditions which demand pace bowlers. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Zaman Khan, and Mohammad Wasim Jr. are poised to be the first-choice bowlers in the main event squad. Other candidates for the T20 World Cup 2024 include Ihsanullah, Abbas Afridi, and Mohammad Hasnain.
Final Probable Squad of T20 World Cup 2024
Batters:
- Babar Azam
- Saim Ayub
- Fakhar Zaman
- Shan Masood
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Sahibzada Farhan
Wicket-Keepers:
- Mohammad Rizwan
- Mohammad Haris
- Azam Khan
Spinners:
- Shadab Khan
- Muhammad Nawaz
- Abrar Ahmed
- Usama Mir
Fast Bowlers:
- Shaheen Afridi
- Haris Rauf
- Naseem Shah
- Mohammad Wasim Jnr
- Zaman Khan
- Ihsanullah
- Abbas Afridi
Probable IX:
Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
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