The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Friday, announced the much-awaited 15-member men’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2024, slated to occur next month in the West Indies and USA. Star batter Babar Azam has been entrusted to lead the Men in Green at the global showpiece event.

Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim return

Veteran pace bowler Mohammad Amir and experienced all-rounder Imad Wasim have made their comebacks to the national squad. Notably, both stars recently returned to Pakistan unit for the Ireland and England tour and were expected to retain their places.

Significant selections and exclusions

The roster includes eight players from the 2022 World Cup squad, while five will be making their debut in this year’s T20 World Cup. Newcomers such as Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Saim Ayub, and Usman Khan will be joining the team for the first time in this global competition.

Notably absent are all-rounder Salman Ali Agha and fast bowler Muhammad Irfan Khan, who were part of the recent series against Ireland and England. Haris Rauf, who has recently recovered from a shoulder injury, remains in the squad, whereas Hasan Ali, who was called up for the Ireland tour, has been left out.

The PCB conveyed confidence in their selected squad, highlighting the mix of experienced and younger players. The board also emphasized Rauf’s readiness and potential contribution.

“This is an extremely talented and balanced side that has a mixture of youth and experience. These players have been playing together for some time and look well prepared and settled for next month’s event. Haris Rauf is fully fit and bowling well in the nets. It would have been nice if he had gotten an outing at Headingley, but we remain confident that he will continue to maintain an upward trajectory in the upcoming matches, as he will have an important role to play along with other strike bowlers in the T20 World Cup,” PCB said in a statement.

Pakistan’s squad for T20 World Cup 2024

Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan

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