The Former Player Shahid Afridi has revealed his Pakistan Squad for the Upcoming World Cup 2023 which is set to take place in India.
Shahid Afridi picks his Pakistan Squad for World Cup 2023
The ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 is scheduled to start on October 5 in India. Pakistan have recently completed its Asia Cup Campaign where they were eliminated during the Super Fours. They had a defeat against India in the Super Fours with a 228-run difference. They lost the match against Sri Lanka in the Super Fours of the Asia Cup 2023 with 2 wickets which resulted in the knockout in the Super Fours.
With only 15 days before the World Cup, the former Pakistani player Afridi has mentioned a few players who have been absent from the squad for a long period including Imad Wasim, Hassin Ali, and Arshad Iqbal.
He acknowledged Imad for his impressive all-rounder performance. He particularly mentions his effectiveness over the new ball, where fast bowlers face challenges.
“We will have two types of tracks, either we’ll get a seaming track or a very flat track. Look, the thing is we already have spinners. Sometimes, if a fast bowler is not bowling well and is being bashed, then you need a bowler like Imad Wasim who can be a very dangerous bowler with the new ball,” Afridi said.
“I have seen his batting, and I felt very confident about him. He has played some fantastic innings. He’s a player who knows how to handle pressure, mentally strong, quite senior, and has played a lot of cricket,” he added.
He also backed Arshad Iqbal and highlighted him as an assertive bowler. “Arshad Iqbal possesses very strong qualities as a very robust bowler. He bowls with aggression and on those pitches, you need a bowler who bowls with strong pace,” he concluded.
Naseem Shah, one of the trio pacers has picked up a shoulder injury while facing India in the Asia Cup 2023 and will not be playing in the upcoming World Cup 2023 and was replaced by Zaman Khan.
Pakistan will be playing their warmup games against New Zealand and Australia on September 29 and October 3 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium before competing in the World Cup 2023
Shahid Afridi’s picks for Pakistan Squad for World Cup 2023
Babar Azam (C), Shadab Khan (VC), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Saud Shakeel, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan, Arshad Iqbal, Hassan Ali
