Pakistan squad for Asia Cup Archives

Pakistan team reaches Multan for Asia Cup 2023

MULTAN: The Pakistan team has reached Multan for the upcoming ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023, which will be played from August 30 to September 17 in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The team management has provided relaxation to the players who participated in the Lankan Premier League, consequently, Babar, Imam-ul-Haq and Naseem Shah will join the side on Monday evening.

The team will relax tomorrow, and kick off their training for the Asia Cup on Tuesday, 29 August at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

Before the start of the session, the Pakistan captain will hold a pre-series media conference.

https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB/status/1695765959108411679

Pakistan made a change to their Asia Cup squad yesterday, as left-handed batter Saud Shakeel was added to the 17-member squad, while Tayyab Tahir was demoted to the travelling reserves.

This year’s Asia Cup will kick off with host Pakistan taking on Nepal in the curtain raiser on August 30 in Multan.

Pakistan will host a total of four matches including a Super 4s fixture.

India’s group stage matches including the anticipated clash against Pakistan, scheduled on September 2, will be held in Kandy while the rest of the Super 4s matches, including the final will be played in Colombo.

The arch-rivals Pakistan and India will come face to face again on September 10 in Colombo if both manage to qualify for the Super 4s.

Like the previous edition, the Asia Cup schedule holds a possibility of treating the cricket fans with a maximum of three Pakistan-India matches in a single tournament if both arch-rivals, in a first, simultaneously qualify for the final.

The upcoming edition of the Asia Cup features six teams, divided into two groups, the top two teams from each group will then qualify for the Super 4s. The continental event will run from August 31 to September 17.

Hosts Pakistan are placed in the same group as arch-rivals India and Nepal while the other group includes defending champions and co-hosts Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The Asia Cup 2023 will be played in the ODI format and will serve as an opportunity for the Asian teams to bolster their preparations for the upcoming ICC Men’s World Cup.

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi and Usama Mir

Traveling reserve: Tayyab Tahir

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

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

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Pakistan’s squad for Afghanistan ODIs, Asia Cup 2023 unveiled

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the head of the national men’s selection committee, today announced Pakistan’s squads for the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023 and the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan.

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, which begins from the Multan Cricket Stadium on 30 August when Pakistan play Nepal.

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

Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf and Saud Shakeel have been included in the Pakistan squad for the Afghanistan series. Shan Masood and Ihsanullah are the two players from the squad that played New Zealand in the five ODIs in April and May to miss out.

Faheem returns to the side after two years and further adds to the balance of the side as a fast-bowling all-rounder. His last outing in the format was during Pakistan’s three-match away series against England in July 2021.

This is Tayyab’s second call-up in the ODI side. His maiden call-up came ahead of the three ODIs against New Zealand in January following a stellar show in the Pakistan Cup 2022-23 that saw him finish as the leading run-getter in the event.

The right-handed middle-order batter recently struck a scintillating century to orchestrate Pakistan Shaheens’ thumping 128-run win over India A in the ACC Men’s Emerging Cup final.

Saud, who does not feature in the Asia Cup squad, has played five ODIs and his last was in March 2022 when Pakistan chased down 348 against Australia with six wickets in hand in Lahore.

Shan has missed out on selection following a string of low scores, while Ihsanullah is undergoing a rehabilitation programme under the observation of the PCB’s medical panel following an injury in his bowling elbow.

Players participating in Lankan Premier League and The Hundred will join the squad directly in Sri Lanka on 18 August.

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Hasan dropped as PCB reveals squads for Asia Cup, Netherlands ODIs

LAHORE: Pacer Naseem Shah replaced Hasan Ali as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced national squads for Pakistan’s upcoming ODI tour of the Netherlands and T20 Asia Cup 2022 in UAE, here on Wednesday.

According to PCB, Naseem will join Babar Azam-led national squads as a replacement for out-of-form Hasan while all-rounder Salman Ali Agha has been recalled to the white-ball side for the ODI matches against the Netherlands.

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who suffered a knee injury during the Sri Lanka tour, has been named in both squads, although he has been undergoing a rehabilitation programme overseen by the team trainer and physiotherapist, who will decide on his return to international cricket.

Meanwhile, there will be five changes in the national contingent travelling from the Netherlands to UAE for the Asia Cup 2022. Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed and Usman Qadir will take charge in place of Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Haris, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood.

Furthermore, PCB also announced the schedule for the players’ training camp and the team’s departure for the forthcoming tasks.

The training camp will be held in Lahore from August 6 to 11 during which the players will engage in two 50-overs practice matches. The side will depart for Amsterdam in the wee hours of Friday, August 12. T20I players will join the squad in Dubai for the ACC T20 Asia Cup on August 22.

It is pertinent to mention here that the national team will play three ODI matches against the hosts in their upcoming tour of the Netherlands on August 16, 18 and 21. Whereas, the Green shirts will kick off their Asia Cup campaign on August 28 with a blockbuster clash against arch-rivals India.

Pakistan squad for Netherlands ODIs:

Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Zahid Mehmood.

Pakistan squad for ACC T20 Asia Cup:

Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir.

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