Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup is expected to be announced on the 18th of April. On the 23rd of April, the team will leave for England where they will play practice matches, a solitary T20I and then a five match ODI series, before the warm-up matches for the World Cup in the lead-up to the major event.
For cricket followers nationwide – and indeed worldwide for the other countries participating in the tournament – the sole debate right now is who makes the cut for the 15-man World Cup squad.
In Pakistan’s case there are four categories in which cricketers find themselves ahead of the world cup: guaranteed, almost guaranteed, fighting it out and not in contention.
Among those guaranteed are the captain Sarfraz Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi. These six are also those who were rested for the disastrous ODI series against Australia, reaffirming their place in the World Cup side, barring an injury or any other freak incident.
Usman Shinwari, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan
Those almost guaranteed are four others Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik and Imad Wasim. The team management decided to rest Faheem after two ODIs of the Australia series underlining that he is in their plans for the World Cup. Imam-ul-Haq has been the chosen opening partner for Fakhar Zaman in recent months and scored runs in South Africa as well. Shoaib and Imad were the two captains for the Australia series.
This means that of the 15, we have 10 who are more or less confirmed. This leaves five positions up for grabs - those ‘fighting it out’.
The greatest hint as to which players are fighting it out for these five positions lies in the 23 probables announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board who will participate in the fitness test on April 15 and 16.
These predictions are based on the likelihood of selection and are not an endorsement
Other than the 10 shortlisted above, the other 13 are: Abid Ali, Asif Ali, Haris Sohail, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood, Usman Shinwari and Yasir Shah.
Although Umar Akmal and Wahab Riaz weren’t included in the probables, the word is that they might still be invited to take the fitness test, bringing them from the ‘not in contention’ to the ‘fighting for it’ category, which now has 15 players.
Of these 15, five are to be selected. Let’s start with Umar Akmal and Wahab Riaz. The fact that neither was in the probables underlines that they won’t be shortlisted. Wahab wasn’t even elected for the Australia series. It is evident that the management feels that Wahab Riaz and Umar Akmal, both of whom played the previous two World Cups for Pakistan, have been given ample opportunities and haven’t delivered.
Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik
Of the remaining 13, Hasnain, Nawaz, Abbas, Shan Masood and Yasir Shah are unlikely to get a nod. Nawaz wasn’t selected in the ODI series either and is behind Shadab and Imad in the spin bowling all-rounder pecking order. Young Hasnain underlined his limitations in the Australian series, and is still a work in progress, with the side already taking 19-year-old Shaheen Afridi to the World Cup. Shan, Abbas and Yasir haven’t done nearly enough to justify their places in the limited overs side, as showcased by their struggles against Australia.
This leaves eight: Abid Ali, Asif Ali, Haris Sohail, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Shinwari.
Of these eight, five are to be selected. And given the composition of the 10 already in, these 5 should include at least: one backup wicketkeeper, one backup opener, one middle order batsman and two fast bowlers.
One player can fulfill two roles as well, of course. For instance Abid can be the backup wicketkeeper and opener. Rizwan can be the backup wicketkeeper and middle order batsman. Hafeez can be the middle order batsman and the backup opener.
Junaid, Amir and Shinwari are vying for the two fast bowling positions. And given how Junaid Khan has been the go-to players for the selectors whenever they have to overlook someone, it’s likely that he might get the axe again this time. This is especially true given that he, like the rest of the bowlers who played in the series, didn’t do much against Australia. However, given that Amir hasn’t done much in ODIs for two years now, this will be a big call. Mickey Arthur, however, wants him so the odds are that he’ll have him.
This leaves Abid, Asif, Rizwan, Haris and Hafeez vying for the three batting positions. Of these, Hafeez, Haris and Rizwan are the favourites. Hafeez has the experience and the versatility to bat anywhere in the batting order, and is likely to be utilized at the number six position given his hitting ability. Both Haris and Rizwan got two tonnes each against Australia and the latter has been the preferred backup to Sarfraz for a while now.
That means the 15-man squad could look something like this: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Sohail.
This predicted squad is based on the likelihood of the selection and is not an endorsement. While Pakistan clearly lack power-hitting, the team management’s strategy is clear in that they are relying on the bowlers to win them matches.
Of course, once the actual squad is announced we will dissect that in detail, especially those selections that differ from those predicted here.
