Pakistan named their 15-man squad on Wednesday for the two coveted tourneys and cited that the exclusion of Shezad was due to lack of consistency in form. “They have now been given a new deadline which is February 10”, Dawn.com reported.
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“Haroon has held consultations with head coach Waqar Younis and captain Shahid Afridi over the selection of the squad and apparently the biggest issues are the selection of Ahmed Shehzad, Khurrum Manzoor, Kamran Akmal, Muhammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan, Rumman Raees and uncapped left-arm spinners, Muhammad Nawaz and Muhammad Ashgar”, a source said.
Shehzad, who scored a match-winning 71 off 46 balls for Quetta Gladiators against Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) last week, could not impress the selectors enough to earn a spot in the national team.
“The team is a fine blend of experience and youth and the selectors believe that team will do well in both tournaments”.
India host the ICC World Twenty20 from March 8 to April 3 but Pakistan’s participation is subject to government clearance as there are specific threats, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan said.
However, the PCB sought more time from the ICC in announcing squads for the Asia Cup and Twenty20 World Cup because the team management wanted to watch players further in action in the ongoing PSL. Rais, 24, is a left-arm fast-medium bowler who boasts an economy rate of 6.95 over 39 T20 games, which have fetched him 44 wickets. “I’m motivated and the pressure on me will work in positive way and help me to prove my worth as a good cricketer”.
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Pakistan’s cricket chief Monday said a proposal was given to play their World Twenty20 matches on neutral venues next month in the event that Islamabad does not allow the team to tour India.
