LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday, announced a 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to commence on June 1.
The much-awaited Pakistan squad was announced in a unique way as cricket fans, in a video released by the PCB, revealed the players’ names selected for the mega event.
The side was confirmed on Friday afternoon (UK time) following a two-hour selection committee meeting, which was attended by Abdul Razzaq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Bilal Afzal, Gary Kirsten, Mohammad Yousuf and Wahab Riaz.
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Of the 15 players, Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Saim Ayub and Usman Khan have been picked for their maiden T20 World Cup, while Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim last appeared in the 2016 and 2021 tournaments, respectively. The other eight players participated in the 2022 event in Australia.
“This is an extremely talented and balanced side that has a mixture of youth and experience. These players have been playing together for some time and look well prepared and settled for next month’s event,” stated PCB.
“Haris Rauf is fully fit and bowling well in the nets. It would have been nice if he had gotten an outing at Headingley, but we remain confident that he will continue to maintain an upward trajectory in the upcoming matches, as he will have an important role to play along with other strike bowlers in the T20 World Cup,” the statement added.
Pakistan, who lifted the title in the 2009 edition will start their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against the United States of America (USA) on June 6 before taking on arch-rivals India on June 9.
Pakistan Squad for T20 World Cup 2024: Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
READ: Fakhar Zaman gives update on Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup 2024