Hasan Ali will take Naseem Shah’s place in the 15-person team after the player has been excluded from the 2023 World Cup.
The 2023 World Cup team for Pakistan was unveiled on Friday, with Naseem Shah’s shoulder injury ruling him out of the competition. Naseem was replaced in the lineup by Hasan Ali, a right-arm bowler who hadn’t played an ODI since June 2022. Haris Rauf, who had an injury during the Asia Cup, has kept his spot in the group. Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam both remain in their positions as the team’s leaders.
In the team’s Asia Cup match against longtime rivals India earlier this month, Naseem suffered a shoulder injury. Hasan, who rejoined the team, has played for Pakistan in 60 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) to date and participated in the 2019 edition of the prestigious competition.
“Our fast bowlers are at a high risk of injury. Inzamam-ul-Haq, the chief selector for the PCB, unveiled the team at a press conference on Friday. “We wanted someone who has experience playing in big tournaments and can pick wickets in the middle so we have gone with Hasan Ali,” he said.
Inzamam also provided some fairly unsettling news regarding Naseem Shah, indicating that the scans suggest the young right-armer may not be able to play even after the World Cup, which is slated to take place in October-November. The reports we have lead us to believe that Naseem Shah will miss more than just the World Cup. With the type of bowling he was producing both with the new ball and in the dying stages, it is a significant blow for Pakistan, according to Inzamam.
The top selector noted that the decision was made with the bowling attack’s ability to bowl middle overs in mind. Faheem Ashraf’s exclusion was one of the biggest surprises.
We found it difficult to take wickets in the middle overs of the Asia Cup, and we know that in order to win games in India, we will need to do the same. As a result, we chose bowlers who can accomplish it, said Inzamam.
Pakistan squad for World Cup 2023: Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Hasan Ali
