Usama, Zaman dropped as Haris, Hasan return

LAHORE: Leggie Usama Mir and young pace sensation Zaman Khan were on Thursday omitted as Pakistan announced the squad for the back-to-back series against Ireland and England which will be the final phase of the preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup to be held in the US and West Indies in June.

Experienced pacer Haris Rauf, who had a developed shoulder injury during the PSL, returned to the squad. Hasan Ali, who last played a T20I game in 2022, has also been named in the 18-man squad. However, the selectors said that Hasan has been picked as a back-up for Haris. If Haris is fit then he will be the top choice, they said.

Also back in the squad are Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Irfan Khan and bulky stumper Azam Khan. The first two missed out the last two games against New Zealand recently due to injuries and Azam had been ruled out of the entire New Zealand series due to fitness issues. All-rounder Agha Salman is also back in the squad.

The selectors said that the World Cup squad will be announced after Pakistan-England game on May 22. Giving update about Rizwan, Haris, Irfan and Azam, selector Wahab Riaz told a news conference on Thursday that they are being assessed.

“There has been significant improvement in their fitness and therefore they will be available for Ireland series and that is why they are part of the squad,” Wahab said. “Hasan Ali was already under consideration. He was playing county cricket and if Haris becomes fit he will be our first choice. Hasan bowled well in the ICC competitions and we need that experience in the middle and that is why Hasan is there as a back-up for Haris,” Wahab clarified.

He also backed Usman Khan’s inclusion in the squad. “We had brought Usman because he had done nicely in the PSL. Failure and success are part of the game. You see after two matches’ failure he showed his intent in the third game. Any player at that position would have saved himself but Usman stuck to the team’s plan and in the fourth game he played a useful innings. We understand he is a great talent and we should support him,” Wahab said.

“We are all on the same page including captain and we have also had discussions with coach Gary Kirsten. Haris’s rehab has started and we expect him to become fit for England series. He is bowling eight to ten overs in the nets daily,” Wahab said.

Wahab claimed that it is the first time that the selection committee has started rotation policy. “We have started this trend. Your main players are Babar and Rizwan. It’s important for both to take forward the team. We have a player in the shape of Saim Ayub who could attack while opening the innings and after that in the middle order we need a key player who could carry the unit so it’s part of the plan.,” Wahab said when asked about opening slots.

Selector Mohammad Yousuf said that Pakistan is ready to play in any condition and against any kind of opposition. “I think our series against New Zealand has been good as before this series so many changes had never been made. Although the series ended in a draw I think this is positive result. We have played new players and opted for rotation policy. It will help boost confidence of the players and it will also help know the bench strength,” Yousuf said.

Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Waseem, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.