The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the 15-men Pakistan 2024 T20 WC Squad, which was announced on Friday evening.
The selection committee mostly led by the chairman of PCB Mohsin Naqvi announced the squad. Among the 20 participating teams in the tournament, the Pakistan team were the last to be announced.
The players named for the squad are the same who were announced for the Ireland and the England series with an exclusion of three names. However, no reserves were announced.
Here’s the complete squad:
| # | Player | Role | Bat style | Bowl style |
| 56 | Babar Azam (captain) | Batsman | Right | RH off-break |
| 40 | Abrar Ahmed | Bowler | Right | RH Leg-break |
| 77 | Azam Khan (wk) | WK-BAT | Right | – |
| 39 | Fakhar Zaman | Batsman | Left | LH off-break |
| 97 | Haris Rauf | Bowler | Right | RH Fast |
| 95 | Iftikhar Ahmed | All Rounder | Right | RH off-break |
| 9 | Imad Wasim | All Rounder | Left | LH off-break |
| 55 | Mohammad Abbas Afridi | Bowler | Right | RH Fast-Med |
| 5 | Mohammad Amir | Bowler | Left | LH Fast-Med |
| 16 | Mohammad Rizwan (wk) | WK-BAT | Right | – |
| 71 | Naseem Shah | Bowler | Right | RH Fast |
| 63 | Saim Ayub | Batsman | Left | RH off-break |
| 7 | Shadab Khan | All Rounder | Right | RH leg-break |
| 10 | Shaheen Shah Afridi | Bowler | Left | LH Fast |
| 78 | Usman Khan | Bowler | Right | – |
Pakistan 2024 T20 WC Squad: Who’s In and Who’s Out?
Among the 18-men squad that was announced for the UK tour, Hassan Ali, Salman Ali Agha and Irfan Khan Niazi have been left out. Hassan was already released from the squad on Thursday morning (23rd May) and was allowed to play county cricket.
Salman and Irfan are unluckily missed out. Irfan made his debut in the New Zealand series, where he scored 48 runs in two innings without being dismissed. If the PCB announces reserve players, both batters will likely be part of it, including Hassan.
Also Read: What is the main problem behind Pakistan’s inconsistent T20 Performances?
Performances in the last tournament
Pakistan ended as runners-up in the 2022 T20 World Cup, losing to England by five wickets in the Melbourne lights.
Pakistan began their tournament with consecutive losses to both India and Zimbabwe. A shocking one-run defeat to Zimbabwe slimmed their chances of qualifying. However, the Green Team won their next three games. The Bangladesh game became more crucial when the Netherlands defeated South Africa, making the PAK v BAN game a virtual quarter-final.
Pakistan met New Zealand in the semi-final, where they restricted them to 152 and won the game by seven wickets, qualifying for the final for the first time in 13 years.
Throughout the tournament, the opening pair of Babar and Rizwan struggled to perform. They scored their only fifties in the semi-finals. Their bowling attack was excellent as it was praised by many. Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan led the wickets column.
Also Read: How in the world did Pakistan qualify for the Semi-Finals?
Pakistan 2024 T20 WC Squad: What are we expecting this time?
This tournament will be played in a different format. 20 teams have been divided into five groups, where the top two teams will qualify for the “Super 8” round. From the Super 8, the eight teams are again divided into two groups of four, where the top two teams will qualify for the knockouts.
With the recent performances, fans and experts believe Pakistan to finish in the top four. Some believe that they are only good enough for the Super 8s round. Pakistan recently lost to Ireland and could not win a T20I series against a weaker New Zealand side. And the USA, who are in Pakistan’s group, recently won a series against Bangladesh, which can make it difficult for the national team.
Babar Azam’s team are placed in group A alongside India, Canada, USA and Ireland.
The 2024 World Cup will be played in the USA and the West Indies starting on June 2 and will conclude on June 29.
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