 |
| A few of Babar Azam’s choices were reportedly overlooked in the T20 World Cup squad selection |
Babar Azam is said to be unhappy with the squad that the PCB selection committee has picked for the T20 World Cup 2021. The Pakistan skipper wanted certain players on the team but his request was turned down
Key HighlightsThe PCB selection committee picked the squad for the T20 World Cup 2021, overlooking some of Babar Azam’s wishesFour players that the Pakistan skipper wanted in the team were reportedly snubbedBabar is said to be unhappy with the team selection for the showpiece event Pakistan announced the squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup, overlooking some of the veterans in their cricketing spectrum like Fakhar Zaman and Sarfaraz Ahmed. However, it has now been reported that the team skipper, Babar Azam, is unhappy with the team selection.
As per a report in Geo News, Babar has expressed his disappointment over the selection of players in the squad for the showpiece event. While captains usually play a big role when it comes to squad selection for bilateral assignments of multi-team events, Babar was reportedly not taken into confidence as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee picked the team for T20 World Cup.
The PCB had a big change in management since the buzz around Ramiz Raja, in line to become the board’s chairperson, started to spread. The departures of Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis as from the coaching team also brought about a swift but rather untimely change at the helm of affairs, especially considering the T20 World Cup is just around the corner.
As per reports Babar wanted the likes of openers Sharjeel Khan and Fakhar Zaman, all-rounder Faheem Ashraf and leg-spinner Usman Qadir included in the T20 World Cup roster but Ramiz didn’t find them worthy enough. Middle-order batsmen Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, Azam Khan and Sohaib Maqsood were preferred by the selection committee over the aforementioned players by Babar in the list.
In the absence of Misbah and Waqar, former cricketers Abdul Razzaq and Saqlain Mushtaq have been appointed as the interim coaches in the Pakistan team for the upcoming New Zealand series.
The T20 World Cup, meanwhile, is scheduled to be held from October 17 to November 14 in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as the organisers.
Before the showpiece event begins, Pakistan will play New Zealand in three One-day Internationals as well as five T20Is in Rawalpindi and Lahore respectively. The series will begin on September 17 and conclude on October 3.
Later, Pakistan will also host England for two T20Is on October 13 and 14 in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup 2021: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohaib Maqsood, Azam Khan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Shaheen Afridi.
