Here is a look at takeaways from Pakistan’s 29 member squad for the English tour that was announced recently.
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So Who Was Selected In Pakistan’s 29 Member Squad
Chief Selector and head coach, Misbah-ul-Haq announced the following cricketers for the 3 Test matches and the 3 T20s that are to be played during the tour.
Openers: Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood
Middle-order batsmen: Azhar Ali (Test captain), Babar Azam (Test vice-captain and T20I captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik
Wicketkeepers: Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed
Fast bowlers: Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz
Spinners: Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan, Yasir Shah
Haider Ali The Only New Face
While Haider Ali is the only new face selected for the tour; Khushdil Shah and Kashif Bhatti too are new to the international level and thus, will be part of their second international trip.
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Fawad Alam Still Might Not Play
Haris Sohail pulled out of the tour and therefore, Fawad Alam seems to be a rational choice to bat instead of him at number six during the Test series. Nevertheless, Pakistani selectors might continue with their strange ways and play Faheem Ashraf instead ahead of him. We however, still hope that better sense prevails, eventually.
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Sarfraz Ahmed A Second Choice Wicket-keeper
Misbah-ul-Haq did not mince any words while explaining that former skipper Sarfraz Ahmed was a second choice wicket-keeper for the green shirts during the tour as Mohd. Rizwan will continue to be the country’s first choice option behind the stumps.
A List Of Cricketers Who Shouldn’t Have Been Selected
Frankly, somewhere around 25 players should have been enough for the tour. taking so many boys alongside can without a shadow of doubt make way for unnecessary complications during the trip. Hence, there seems no reason why Faheem Ashraf, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz and Fakhar Zaman should have been selected for the English tour especially, when their recent form hasn’t been too encouraging.