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Pakistan‘s team management has officially unveiled their 15-man squad for the highly anticipated ODI World Cup 2023, set to kick off in India on October 5. Unfortunately, pace sensation Naseem Shah, who sustained an injury during the recently concluded Asia Cup 2023, will not be able to participate in this prestigious cricketing event. Stepping into his shoes is the right-arm pacer, Hasan Ali, who has earned his place in the Green Team’s lineup.
Babar Azam has been entrusted with the captaincy, while the dynamic all-rounder Shadab Khan assumes the role of vice-captain. The squad boasts a mix of promising talents such as Saud Shakeel and Iftikhar Ahmed, along with seasoned campaigners like Mohammad Rizwan and the formidable left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.
In the spin department, Pakistan have placed their faith in the duo of Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan, who will serve as the team’s primary spin options.
During the press conference of the squad announcement hosted on Friday, the Pakistani chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq, came up with a humorous response when a journalist drew the statistical comparison between Pakistan’s Shadab and Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
Also READ: ODI World Cup 2023 – Hilarious memes flood the internet as Hasan Ali makes his way into Pakistan’s squad
“I cannot select Kuldeep Yadav”: Inzamam
The former Pakistani skipper praised the journalist at first for presenting the statistics of Shadab and Kuldeep and then injected a bit of humour into the moment by playfully quipping that he couldn’t select the Indian left-arm spinner in his team as he hails from another team.
“You have come up with some good stats on both bowlers but let me say that I cannot select Kuldeep Yadav…for me that’s an issue as he is from another team,” Inzamam responded to the reporter.
The former Pakistan batter also cited the reasons behind selecting Shadab and Nawaz, mentioning that he wants consistency in the team and clarified that the team has complete trust in their spinners.
“We have selected Shadab and Nawaz because we wanted continuity. The World Cup squad is planned for years ahead, and cannot be changed abruptly. Shadab and Nawaz have been doing very well for Pakistan for the past two years. They have not been taking wickets in the middle and performing up to their own caliber but they have done so in the past and we have confidence in them,” the 53-year-old added.
