Pakistan’s ICC World Cup 2023 squad starts taking shape
The mega event will be held in India
KARACHI: Pakistan’s squad for the ICC World Cup 2023 has started taking shape after an initial discussion between the PCB Think Tank.
However, the final decision about the squad will be taken by the new chief selector — who is yet to be appointed.
According to sources, PCB Think Tank have agreed on 12 to 13 players who will be included in Pakistan’s World Cup squad.
According to sources, captain Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz and Agha Salman are likely to be part of the squad.
Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Wasim Jnr also under consideration for the squad, sources added.
Two players from Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Haris and Tayyab Tahir will also be included in the squad.
The remaining two to three names will be finalised during the next few days.
Players' performance will be assessed during Pakistan's upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan and the Asia Cup before finalising the squad for the World Cup.
It must be noted that 10 teams will fight for the elusive title across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and the final.
Here is Pakistan's schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023:
October 6 - vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
October 12 - vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
October 15 - vs India in Ahmedabad
October 20 - vs Australia in Bengaluru
October 23 - vs Afghanistan in Chennai
October 27 - vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 - vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 - vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
November 12 - vs England in Kolkata
The day matches will start at 10:00am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures and will begin at 01:30pm (PST).
If Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Kolkata.
If India qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Mumbai unless playing against Pakistan, in which case they will play in Kolkata.
The Cricket World Cup will be played in the round-robin format with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches.
The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, which will be held in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.
