ICC World Cup 2019 | Pakistan axe Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz from probable World Cup squad
Pakistan have called up 23 players for a fitness test on April 15 and 16 at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, but the duo of Umar Akmal and Wahab Riaz couldn't find a spot in it. The selection committee, however, has called up Mohammed Amir despite his terrible performances recently.
Pakistan’s national selection committee, led by former skipper Inzamam ul Haq, called up as many as 23 players for a fitness test on April 15 and 16 at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore and they are slated to announce the final squad on the 18th.
Umar Akmal scored a 66-ball 99 on April 3 after hitting a match-winning 136 not-out three days ago for Balochistan in the ongoing Pakistan Cup, the bad news struck his inbox as he was axed from Pakistan’s probable squad for the World Cup. Wahab Riaz would also consider himself unlucky for missing out from the squad despite securing a match figure of 5 for 52 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's 3-wicket win against Federal Areas a day earlier.
Surprisingly, Mohammad Hafeez received a call despite undergoing two surgeries on his thumb that he broke while attempting a return catch of his own bowling during Pakistan Super League (PSL) in February. Abid Ali and Mohammad Hasnain have also been named in the squad after their recent heroics in the PSL and with the national team.
While those were expected entries, the selection committee has also called up Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah to the probable squad. Amir has been going through a wretched one-day form ever since Pakistan's Champions Trophy triumph in 2017 and averages over 92 with five wickets in 101 overs. Yasir has never been a good one-day cricketer for Pakistan and when he was recalled for the ODI series against Australia last month, he picked up four wickets at an average of 70.75.
Pakistan
23-man probables: Sarfaraz Ahmed, Abid Ali, Asif Ali, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Hassan Ali, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Shoaib Malik, Usman Shinwari, Yasir Shah