ICC World Cup 2019 | Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir named in Pakistan squad
Pakistan have named fast bowlers Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir in their squad for the upcoming World Cup in England and Wales, starting May 30. The duo has replaced Junaid Khan and Faheem Ashraf from the preliminary squad, whereas batsman Asif Ali replacing Abid Ali was the other change.
Pakistan have sprung up quite a few surprises in their final squad for the World Cup in the United Kingdom. They had named a 15-man preliminary squad earlier but have now gone ahead with three changes from that.
They have had an extremely poor run in ODI cricket of late with back to back whitewashes in the five-match series against Australia in UAEÂ followed by a 4-0 loss against hosts England which has forced them to make quite a few changes.
Pacer Wahab Riaz, who last played an ODI in 2017, has been named in the squad. Mohammad Amir, who did not get a chance to bowl in the previous series, was another pacer who was left out in the preliminary squad but is named in the final squad. The left-arm duo have found a place at the expense of another left-armer Junaid Khan and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf.
Asif Ali, who scored two fifties against England, has replaced three-match old Abid Ali, who only played one match against England despite scoring a century against Australia. Leg-spinner Shadab Khan was suffering from a viral infection but has recovered in time and has found a seat on the flight to London.
"Wahab's ability to reverse swing the ball got him selected. Nobody expected the pitches in the UK will play flat even in the early season there. So we have realised that and reviewed our selection,â said the chief selector Inzamam Ul Haq, reported ESPN Cricinfo.
There are no other changes from the preliminary squad and Sarfaraz Khan will continue to lead the side.
Full Squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad HasnainÂ
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