The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) left express pacer Haris Rauf out of the 15-man squad named on Sunday for next month’s ICC T20 World Cup jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, although former captains Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi have been named.
The announcement was made at a press conference by PCB High Performance Director and member of the national men’s selection committee, Aqib Javed, who was speaking alongside captain Salman and white-ball head coach Michael James Hesson at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
Rauf finished with 20 wickets in the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia, but selector Javed said he did not fit into the mix.
“Rauf has played a lot of cricket for Pakistan, but we kept the conditions in Sri Lanka in mind while selecting the team,” Javed told a press conference in Lahore.
Rauf is also Pakistan’s highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket with 133 in 94 matches.
Among the players, Salman, Faheem Ashraf, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Sahibzada Farhan and Usman Tariq received their first mega-event call-ups in the Pakistan team, the PCB said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Abrar Ahmed, Babar, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen, Shadab Khan and Usman Khan have played in at least one or more editions of the tournament since 2021, the statement added.
In the 20-team tournament, each team must play four group matches before the Super Eight and the playoff stage, all between February 7 and March 8.
Pakistan are also scheduled to face Australia in a three-match T20I series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on January 29, 31 and February 1, with the preparation camp beginning today, the PCB statement said.
Babar and Shaheen were also named in Pakistan’s squad for the three-match series after being left out of the T20I series against Sri Lanka last month.
Asked at the press conference about Babar’s inclusion in the World Cup squad despite “not meeting international standards”, Javed said he was “the most consistent batsman”.
Thursday, Babar announcement that he would miss the remainder of the Big Bash League in Australia as he had been recalled to Pakistan for a national team camp ahead of the T20I series with Australia.
Salman, when asked if Pakistan had a chance to gain an advantage similar to “the way India did in the previous ICC Champions Trophy, since all their matches were in the UAE”, the captain admitted that Pakistan had an advantage this time. However, he maintained that victory depended on how well the team played.
“India won because they played good cricket. If we do the same, we will win too,” Salman said.
Following India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy in 2025, a “hybrid model» was decided that India would play all their matches in Dubai, chosen as a neutral venue.
According to the compromisePakistan are expected to play all their matches at the upcoming T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, although PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday their participation was still not confirmed.
Salman added that “in the last three tournaments, the team has not performed well.”
He continued: “When you play a World Cup, it’s always going to be difficult (..) you can’t stay relaxed in any situation (..) it’s going to be a challenge, and we’re both ready and excited for that.”
When asked “why Muhammad Rizwan was not picked to be in the team when he had more experience in Sri Lanka than Babar”, Javed replied: “You have to take into account the batting line-up of your team – both the coach and the captain think Babar can play a vital role in the team – so it doesn’t mean one has a chance and the other doesn’t, we have to see how the team can have a more competitive batting line-up.”
He went on to say that the argument had “no logic.”
“You have to see who fits best into the team and which player can make the team better,” he added.
Head coach Hesson, responding to a question on the inclusion of Khawaja Nafay and Usman Khan as wicketkeepers despite Nafay’s “inexperience and Usman’s “poor performance”, maintained that “Usman Khan has been exceptional since his return to the team”.
“His wicketkeeping has probably been better than expected,” Hesson said.
He continued: “As for Khawaja Nafay, we considered Sahibzada Farhan as a backup goalkeeper, but unfortunately he became a little vulnerable to injury with the added load from a guarding point of view. That was something we didn’t want to risk.”
The head coach highlighted that Farhan was a “great player” for the team.
“The fact that we had to put him in a difficult situation forced our hand a little bit (…) that’s where Nafay came in as a power player,” said the head coach.
“We are very comfortable with the two conservation options that we have,” he added.
Salman, in response to a question on whether “Babar’s performance was a cause for concern”, said the player’s performance “wasn’t as bad as you are making it out to be, his performance in the Big Bash didn’t go well, but it happened in different conditions”.
“I think since his return, he has performed well in T20s and all that matters to me is that he is playing well for Pakistan,” the captain added.
Detailing the batting plan, the captain said that “apart from the openers, the rest of the line-up can only be decided based on the situation”.
“In T20, apart from the first few matches, you have no idea what situation you will find yourself in,” he added.
Talking about the squad, Javed maintained that it was the same group “which was in continuity for the last three or four series”.
“It’s not like we have formed a special or different team for the World Cup. However, different conditions are always taken into account and changes can be made,” he said.
Head coach Hesson, speaking about Rauf’s exclusion from the squad, said: “Firstly, when we decided to take three seamers to Sri Lanka, obviously there would be some unlucky seamers, and Waseem Junior, Ahmed Daniyal and Haris Rauf are three who were certainly considered, but unfortunately there was no place.”
He said the three seamers included in the team – Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Mirza and Naseem Shah – “can play in all three phases of the game”.
He added: “In previous World Cups we have always taken on an extra tailor because the conditions demanded it, whereas in this situation we did not follow that route.”
Detailing Babar’s role in the team, the head coach said: “We see a very different role for Babar compared to the one you have in the BBL.”
“Babar Azam has a lot of other skills to offer,” he said, recalling that the decision to add Babar was also taken “to complement the other players we have.”
“We know what a world-class player he is and how flexible he can be, depending on the needs of the team,” he added.
Asked about a possible boycott of the World Cup by Pakistan, following a statement made by the PCB chief, Javed said their role was limited to team selection.
“Ultimately, it’s up to the government to decide, and we will wait for their decision,” he said.
15-member squad for T20 World Cup
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (week), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (week), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (week) and Usman Tariq.
Additional contribution from AFP
