The ICC World Cup 2023 is less than 20 days away from now. The preparations for the tournament are in full flow as all the teams are giving their best to get battle-ready for the mega event. The tournament will kick start from 5th October in India and with the way teams have played cricket over the last few years, every team will be in contention to win.
ICC World Cup 2023: Pakistan Announces squad for the World Cup; Hasan Ali returns
The much anticipated Pakistan squad for the ICC World Cup 2023 has been announced. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after a long delay revealed the 15-member strong squad for the tournament. Naseem Shah being ruled out with a shoulder injury is the biggest highlight of the squad.
Babar Azam will be captaining the team whereas Shadab Khan has been retained as the vice-captain. The leg-spinner was under scanner for his poor performance but the management has backed him for the ICC World Cup 2023.
Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique are the three openers in the Pakistan squad for the ICC World Cup 2023. Apart from skipper Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman and Iftikhar Ahmed are the middle-order batters along with keeper Mohammad Rizwan.
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Shadab Khan along with Mohammad Nawaz are the two spin-bowling all-rounders in the team while Usama Mir has also retained his place. Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Wasim jr are the three frontline pacers in the Pakistan squad for the ICC World Cup 2023.
Hasan Ali has replaced Naseem Shah in the squad. He last played for Pakistan in this format in June last year. Zaman Khan, who replaced Naseem in the Asia Cup, has been dropped from the team despite performing well.
ICC World Cup 2023: Pakistan squad for World Cup 2023
Here’s the Pakistan squad for the ICC World Cup 2023:
Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim
Pakistan will open their tournament journey against the Netherlands on 6 October in Hyderabad.