Mohammad Amir was left out of Pakistan’s preliminary 15-man World Cup squad on Thursday, though he will be given a chance to force his way into contention after being picked for the ODI series against England that precedes the tournament.
The left-arm pacer’s place in the squad was the biggest dilemma going into Thursday’s announcement. Since starring in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, Amir has taken five wickets in 101 overs in ODIs, at a shocking average of 92.60 – easily the worst among specialist fast bowlers in that time.
Veteran batsmen Shoaib Malik and Abid Ali were the other key question marks, and both were included in the preliminary squad. Ali’s recent domestic form had helped the 31-year-old state his case for inclusion as a reserve opener, especially after his century against Australia last month.
Power-hitter Asif Ali missed out, as did left-arm pacer Usman Shinwari, but there was vote of confidence for 18-year-old fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain, who is in the 15 despite having played just three ODIs. Imad Wasim has also been included despite struggling with a knee injury in recent months, while Mohammad Hafeez’s inclusion is subject to passing a fitness test.
Squad: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Sohail
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