Inzamam-ul-Haq opens up on Faheem Ashraf’s inclusion in Asia Cup squad

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the national men’s selection committee head announced an 18-member squad for the series against Afghanistan and the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023, the notable selection, however, was the returning pace-bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf.

He returns to the side after a long hiatus of two years, his last outing in the ODI format was during Pakistan’s three-match away series against England in July 2021.

In his last ODI match, Faheem Ashraf scored 10 runs off four balls, while he gave away 34 runs without any wicket.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, who unveiled almost alike squads for the Asia Cup and Afghanistan ODIs, justified Faheem Ashraf’s inclusion by claiming him to be the only pace-bowling all-rounder in the circuit.

“We lacked pace-bowling all-rounders, as all the all-rounders we currently have are spinners,” he said.

“We are looking towards the ICC Cricket World Cup later this year, and Faheem Ashraf will come in handy in India,” he added.

He further solidified his call by terming Faheem the best pace-bowling all-rounder in Pakistan.

“Faheem Ashraf is number one among all the pace-bowling all-rounders in the domestic.”

An 18-player squad will take on Afghanistan in Sri Lanka from 22 to 26 August and it will be trimmed to 17 players for the Asia Cup, commencing from 30th August at Multan Cricket Stadium. The opening game will see host Pakistan face Nepal.

Along with Faheem Ashraf, Tayyab Tahir, and Saud Shakeel have also been included in the squad, however, Shakeel is only selected for the Afghanistan series.

Shan Masood and Ihsanullah are the two players from the squad who played New Zealand in the five ODIs in April and May to miss out.

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.

The squad was finalised following consultations between the national men’s selection committee – which also includes Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn and Hassan Cheema (secretary) – and Pakistan captain Babar Azam.

Pakistan’s Squad:

Openers: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq

Middle order: Babar Azam (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Tayyab Tahir and Saud Shakeel (only for Afghanistan series).

Wicketkeepers: Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Haris

Spinners: Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Mohammad Nawaz and Usama Mir

Pace all-rounder: Faheem Ashraf

Pacers: Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi 

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