Renowned Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle has named his Pakistan squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which will be played in the West Indies and the United States from June 1.
Bhogle, one of the most prominent names in the world of cricket, picked his squad for the Green Shirts which consists of experience as well as emerging talents.
The squad has a mixture of calm players — Mohammad Rizwan, and Babar Azam — as well as hard-hitters like Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Azam Khan, who are capable of changing the game in a few balls.
Bhogle also picked Abrar Ahmed, Pakistan’s emerging mystery spinner who could be useful on the slow pitches of West Indies. Meanwhile, he went with five pacers including Zaman Khan, which came as a surprise as the wickets in the Caribbean will be assisting spinners more.
“So there you are, those are the 15 that I think will do well for Pakistan. There are enough batting options, they bat very deep, and enough bowling options. It is the kind of balance that everybody looks forward to in their side,” Bhogle said.
"Pakistan are a very versatile bunch, and they have the option of putting together a variety of combinations depending on the situation,” he added.
Bhogle's World Cup squad for Pakistan:
Babar Azam (c,) Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan.
Remember, Pakistan is in Group A with arch-rivals India and the two sides will take on one another in one of the most anticipated matches of the World Cup on June 9 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York.
Groups for T20 World Cup 2024
Group A: India, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, United States
Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman
Group C: New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Uganda, Papua New Guinea
Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Nepal