Pakistan cricket board (PCB), on Sunday, announced 20 probables for Sri Lanka Series. Surprisingly, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal were named in the squad.
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| Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal Make Way Into 20 Probables For Sri Lanka Series Picture Courtesy © Photo Gallery |
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Names Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal Among 20 Probables
Pakistan cricket board (PCB), on Sunday, announced 20 probables for upcoming Sri Lanka series. Pakistan cricket team's head coach and Chief selector Misbah Ul Haq named Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal in the squad. The senior duo of Shoaib Malik and Muhammad Hafeez failed to make it to Pakistan cricket team. Young fast-bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi was also ignored by Pakistan cricket board.
Another teenage speedster, Mohammad Hasnain, was recalled from Caribbean Premier League (CPL) to fulfill his national and domestic commitments. He was named in the initial squad for Sri Lanka Series.
Asif Ali and Shadab Khan also returned to the country after small stints at Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
20 Probables For Sri Lanka Series
- Sarfraz Ahmed (Captain)
- Babar Azam (Vice-Captain)
- Abid Ali
- Ahmed Shehzad
- Asif Ali
- Fakhar Zaman
- Faheem Ashraf
- Haris Sohail
- Hasan Ali
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Imad Wasim
- Imam Ul Haq
- Mohammad Amir
- Mohammad Hasnain
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Mohammad Rizwan
- Shadab Khan
- Umar Akmal
- Usman Shinwari
- Wahab Riaz
Were The Surprising Calls For Sri Lanka Series Justified?
Head coach and Chief selector Misbah Ul Haq along with PCB made some surprising calls by switching back the aged fellas. Now the question is that were these calls justified? The answer is up to the fans.
Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal were dropped a couple of years ago due to fitness and behavioral issues. Usman Shinwari, Mohammad Nawaz and Iftikhar Ahmed were dropped over poor performances. Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, and Shaheen Shah Afridi have performed well in the past.
Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Rizwan were also dropped due to poor performances. Now the inclusion of the players like Usman Shinwari, and Faheem Ashraf without any notable performances in the domestic cricket and exclusion of someone like Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has won you matches at international level in the recent past is surprising.
PCB Should Have Tested The Youngsters
Pakistan Cricket has switched back to the defensive batsmen once again. The guys like Ahmed Shehzad and Iftikhar Ahmed who have strike-rate of merely 70 or less in ODI cricket are being considered for the future. In the modern era of cricket, when the teams are going for more aggressive batsmen and individuals, this decision from PCB seems unfitting to raise the standards of cricket in Pakistan.
It would have been a great idea if PCB had chosen to test the emerging talent like Nasim Shah, Haider Ali, Umar Khan, Saif Badar, and Haris Rauf. This series against a weak Sri Lankan side was an opportunity for Pakistan cricket team to test their bench strength.
The Final squad for Sri Lanka series will be announced on September 23.
