The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday (May 24) unveiled its 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, slated to be held in the West Indies and USA from June 1 to June 29.
Babar Azam will lead the side in the showpiece tournament. All-rounder Imad Wasim and left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir, who recently reversed their retirement decision and made return to the Pakistan T20I team, have been included in the T20 World Cup squad as well.
The Men in Green will have also have the services of right-arm quick Haris Rauf in the marquee 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.
Of the 15 players, Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Saim Ayub and Usman Khan have been picked for their maiden T20 World Cup. The squad also features seasoned campaigners such as Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan.
Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah will spearhead the Pakistan pace attack in the global T20 tournament.
“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,” the board further stated.
Pakistan boast an impressive record in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup since its inception in 2007. It won the 2009 edition under Younis Khan and twice played the finals under Shoaib Malik (2007) and Babar Azam (2022). In 2010, 2012, and 2021, the Men in Green reached the last-four stage.
Pakistan will open their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against co-hosts USA at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas on June 6.
Pakistan Squad: 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
