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Pakistan have bolstered their batting line-up for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as leg-spinner Usman Qadir has been dropped from the main squad. The Pakistan cricket team selectors have bumped up Fakahar Zaman from their list of T20 WC 2022 reserves in the 15-player squad. The southpaw will replace Qadir, who has failed to recover sufficiently from an injury.
Qadir sustained a hairline fracture on his right thumb during the seven-match T20I series against England in Karachi on September 25. The 29-year-old has now been deemed unfit for selection before October 22.
Meanwhile, Zaman was initially named as a travelling reserve for the showpiece event in Australia after hurting his knee in the final of the 2022 Asia Cup T20 against Sri Lanka. After recovering from injury, Zaman is now in line to play against India in Pakistan’s first match at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Melbourne on October 23.
The left-handed batter could only score 96 runs off six innings at the Asia Cup, but the 32-year-old did smash an impressive half-century against Hong Kong in the Group A fixture. He also has 71 T20I caps to his name and provides Pakistan captain Babar Azam with another option to use in their middle order.
Pakistan’s squad for T20 World Cup 2022 [Updated]:
Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood.
