Pakistan lastly revealed their 15-member squad for the upcoming version of the Champions Trophy. The deadline for the provisional squad announcement was January 12. Nonetheless, there was a big delay in saying the 15-member squad.
In what’s an unlucky improvement, southpaw Saim Ayub remained unavailable resulting from an ankle fracture obtained in the course of the Cape City Take a look at in opposition to South Africa. Earlier right now, the chairperson of the Pakisan Cricket Board, Mohsin Naqvi, confirmed Ayub’s return remained “no less than 4 weeks” from now. Left-handed top-order batter, Fakhar Zaman, returned to the nationwide setup. The callup comes after he fell out with the PCB in relation to a social media publish in October final yr.
Bowling all-rounder, Faheem Ashraf, who final represented the nation in 2023, was listed within the roster as nicely. Abdullah Shafique misplaced his place within the ODI setup resulting from an especially lean run of type within the ODIs in opposition to the Proteas. Saud Shakeel and Khushdil Shah additionally discovered a spot within the facet.
Former middle-order batter and present member of the choice panel, Asad Shafique, supplied hints on the potential opening companions of Fakhar.
“Fakhar’s opening associate may very well be both Babar Azam or Saud Shakeel, relying on varied elements reminiscent of circumstances, opposition, and match technique. Each gamers are extremely succesful on the prime of the order, with Babar being notably seasoned within the function, usually opening in T20Is and in addition excelling within the Cape City Take a look at by scoring two half-centuries in Saim Ayub’s absence,” said Shafique, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Shafique additionally identified the core positives of the drafted squad.
“One of many standout qualities of this facet is its flexibility – a vital trait in right now’s modern-day cricket. We’re assured that this squad strikes the correct stability between youth and expertise, and has all bases coated. Every participant has been chosen with a transparent function in thoughts, guaranteeing the captain has versatile choices at his disposal,” he added.
Additionally Learn: No opening ceremony for Champions Trophy 2025; Rohit Sharma to not set foot in Pakistan
Pakistan’s squad for Champions Trophy 2025:
Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Rizwan (c, wk), Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah.
Get each cricket updates! Observe Us: