Former T20 World Cup winners Pakistan have announced their squad for the upcoming edition of the multination tournament after threatening to boycott it. Having said that, the team’s participation is still not certain.
The Announcement
Pakistan have retained the core that has been playing together in the last year or so, with the exclusion of Haris Rauf.
The 15-member squad also comprises former captain Babar Azam, who wasn’t a part of the previous multi-team that Pakistan featured in, i.e. the Asia Cup.
The Call Ups
Other than Babar, experienced players like Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have also found a place in the team, which will be led by Salman Ali Agha, who will feature in his first major ICC event.
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Pakistan’s Squad
Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq
The Uncertainity
When asked about Pakistan’s stance on their participation in the T20 World Cup, head coach Aqib Javed said, “We are selectors, and our job is to pick the team. We’ve announced the team very close to the deadline. The government will decide on our participation, so I can say nothing on that front. That’s what the chairman has said, too, so we’ll wait for their decision.”
The Statement
The statement comes a day after the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Mohsin Naqvi, said that the PCB will do what the government of Pakistan says.
In the words of Naqvi, “I will follow the instructions of the government of Pakistan. The Prime Minister is not in Pakistan at the moment. We will give you a final decision when he returns.” “We are more under the Government of Pakistan than the ICC, so we have to do what the government of Pakistan says.”
The Stance
Naqvi added, “Look, if the government of Pakistan says that they don’t want to play, then they [the ICC] can bring the 22nd team. But this decision has to be taken by the government of Pakistan. This is what the government of Pakistan has to say, whether they make a final decision.”
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The Demand
Naqvi reiterated what PCB has been saying for the past few days, that the ICC hasn’t been kind towards Bangladesh as cricket’s governing body rejected their request to play their group stage matches in Sri Lanka “I think there has been injustice with Bangladesh, and I said the same in the ICC board meeting [on January 21]. You can’t have double standards. You can’t say that for one country you can make a decision whenever you want, and for another country you can make a totally opposite decision. That’s why we have taken this stand – there is injustice with Bangladesh.”
The Exclusions
Coming back to Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad, the selectors have also made several exclusions like Haris Rauf, Mohammad Waseem Jnr., Sufiyan Muqeem and experienced fast bowler Hasan Ali
Pakistan are scheduled to begin their T20 World Cup campaign on the opening day of the tournament against the Netherlands, followed by the USA, India and Namibia on February 10, 15 and 18, respectively, with all the matches to be played in Sri Lanka.