Tag: Faheem Ashraf PCB Central Contract

Inzamam-ul-Haq opens up on Faheem Ashraf’s inclusion in Asia Cup squad

Posted on by shahzad.malik

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the national men’s selection committee head announced an 18-member squad for the series against Afghanistan and the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023, the notable selection, however, was the returning pace-bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf.

He returns to the side after a long hiatus of two years, his last outing in the ODI format was during Pakistan’s three-match away series against England in July 2021.

In his last ODI match, Faheem Ashraf scored 10 runs off four balls, while he gave away 34 runs without any wicket.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, who unveiled almost alike squads for the Asia Cup and Afghanistan ODIs, justified Faheem Ashraf’s inclusion by claiming him to be the only pace-bowling all-rounder in the circuit.

“We lacked pace-bowling all-rounders, as all the all-rounders we currently have are spinners,” he said.

“We are looking towards the ICC Cricket World Cup later this year, and Faheem Ashraf will come in handy in India,” he added.

He further solidified his call by terming Faheem the best pace-bowling all-rounder in Pakistan.

“Faheem Ashraf is number one among all the pace-bowling all-rounders in the domestic.”

An 18-player squad will take on Afghanistan in Sri Lanka from 22 to 26 August and it will be trimmed to 17 players for the Asia Cup, commencing from 30th August at Multan Cricket Stadium. The opening game will see host Pakistan face Nepal.

Along with Faheem Ashraf, Tayyab Tahir, and Saud Shakeel have also been included in the squad, however, Shakeel is only selected for the Afghanistan series.

Shan Masood and Ihsanullah are the two players from the squad who played New Zealand in the five ODIs in April and May to miss out.

The team will assemble in Hambantota on 18 August with the players in Pakistan departing on 17 August. The players in Pakistan will hold a three-day camp on 14, 15 and 16 August at the National Cricket Academy, Lahore.

The squad was finalised following consultations between the national men’s selection committee – which also includes Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn and Hassan Cheema (secretary) – and Pakistan captain Babar Azam.

Pakistan’s Squad:

Openers: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq

Middle order: Babar Azam (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Tayyab Tahir and Saud Shakeel (only for Afghanistan series).

Wicketkeepers: Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Haris

Spinners: Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Mohammad Nawaz and Usama Mir

Pace all-rounder: Faheem Ashraf

Pacers: Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi 

READ: Shubman Gill moves closer to Fakhar, Imam in ICC ODI Batting Rankings

‘Didn’t perform well’ Wasim on Faheem’s exclusion from central contract

Posted on by Najeeb Ul Hasnain

KARACHI: Pakistan Men’s Cricket Team Chief Selector Mohammad Wasim opened up for the first time on fast bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf’s exclusion from the recently announced Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Central Contracts 2022-23.

Fast bowling all-rounder Faheem, who is considered an integral part of Pakistan’s red-ball side and a consistent member in the squads of the team’s recent fixtures, remained unable to find himself in the list of players named in the recently-revealed central contracts.

In response to the host’s question about Faheem’s exclusion from the PCB Central Contracts on ARY News’ Sports Room (Eid Special), Wasim asserted that the all-rounder was not selected in the contract due to his below-par performance over the previous 12-month period, however, claimed that he is still part of the team’s future plans.

“Playing for the team does not guarantee a player’s inclusion in the central contracts. The criteria are straightforward, and they include performance over the previous 12 months, our plans for the next 12 months, and the role in the team, as well as the automatic selection,” Wasim responded.

“It further includes some other factors like commitment, fitness, and the extent of participation in the domestic circuit,” he maintained.

The chief selector then clarified that Faheem’s exclusion from the central contracts does not rule him out of the team’s future plans.

“Nobody said that Faheem isn’t a part of our future plans. The biggest proof of this is that he is accompanying the team on their tour to Sri Lanka,” Wasim stated.

“It is important to note that it is not the case that we will never choose a player who is not a part of the central contracts; rather, this is a common practice all over the world. Many players who are not covered by the contracts represent their teams,” he stressed.

On being asked about left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq, who was awarded the Category B in white-ball cricket despite being ranked second in the latest ICC ODI batting rankings, Wasim claimed that the policy does not permit double promotion.

“No doubt, Imam’s performance has been improved a lot. He was in Category C in the last year’s contracts, so he got promoted. He made runs in domestic cricket and got introduced in the red-ball side, and performed well so he did get promoted,” Wasim stated.

“Double promotion, however, is not the criteria, which means a player can not be promoted by two categories. Then again I would say how many match-winning performances a player has produced is the key,” he concluded.

READ: Netizens irked over Faheem’s exclusion from PCB Central Contracts

Netizens irked over Faheem’s exclusion from PCB Central Contracts

Posted on by A Sports

KARACHI: Several cricket fans have expressed their disappointment over the exclusion of Pakistan’s bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf from the recently-announced Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Central Contracts 2022-23.

Faheem, who has been an integral part of the Green Shirts’ red ball team and a consistent member in the squads of the team’s recent fixtures, has remained unable to find himself in the list of players named in the recently-revealed central contracts.

Following his exclusion, several cricket fans have taken to Twitter and questioned his exclusion from the central contract. Pakistan’s renowned cricket statistician Mazher Arshad, on the other hand, also seemed surprised by the decision.

A cricket fan also criticized the Chief Selector of Pakistan National Men’s Cricket Team, Mohammad Wasim, and questioned if the latter even follows cricket, whereas, also alleged favouritism.

Another cricket fan also opined on the all-rounder’s exclusion and termed the decision to be shocking and astonishing.

Another cricket fan seemed unhappy with the decision and called it ‘disgusting’.

Besides Faheem, the left-arm spinner Sajid Khan, who was a part of the Green Shirts’ red-ball squad for the Bangladesh and Australia series, also failed to make it into the central contracts.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s young right-arm pacer Mohammad Hasnain, who was given Category C in the previous year’s central contract, failed to retain because he was sidelined after his brief Big Bash League (BBL) stint as his bowling action was deemed illegal.

Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Abbas, and Imad Wasim are the other notable players who were not included in the central contracts.

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