The World Twenty20 dream is over for Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Gul as Pakistan named its 15-man squad after a lengthy meeting which split the selection committee.
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 uncapped left-arm fast bowler Rumman Raees and all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz were rewarded for their impressive performances in the PSL. Khurram Manzoor, who last represented Pakistan in a Test match in 2014, returned to the side after scoring big in the National T20 Cup and against the England Lions recently
“While picking the squad, the team management and skipper were consulted by the selectors, and all concerned gave their consent in this regard,” chief selector Haroon Rasheed said.
“The T20 team has been selected keeping in mind the conditions during Asia cup and World T20 and the recent performances of some players in domestic and A Team tours. The team is a fine blend of experience and youth and the selectors believe that team will do well in both tournaments.”
Twenty20 cricket’s mega event will be held in India from March 8 to April 3, and the International Cricket Council (ICC) had set February 8 as the deadline for naming squads for the tournament.But the PCB requested the world governing body to give them more time to assess the performances of the players featuring in the PSL.The same squad will first feature in the Asia Cup T20 which starts on February 24.
The squad:
Shahid Afridi (c), Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Irfan, Rumman Raees, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Khurram Manzoor
