Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Friday halted the formal announcement of the squad for the T20 World Cup, as reported by Geo News sources. Naqvi expressed displeasure over selectors not holding a meeting to discuss the players for the marquee event in the USA and the West Indies. “The PCB chief Naqvi didn’t object to the names of the players, but expressed his displeasure with the selectors for not holding meetings to discuss the players,” Geo News reported citing unnamed sources.
According to sources, the Pakistan squad is expected to be announced by the end of the day. The deadline set by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to submit the 15-player team is May 25.
Out of 19 teams, Pakistan are the only team that hasn’t announced their 15-player squad. For the highly anticipated tournament, Pakistan are in Group A alongside the USA, India, Canada and Ireland.
The Men in Green will kick off their campaign against the USA on June 6. They will face arch-rival India on June 9 at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York.
Pakistan are currently touring England for their four-match T20I series against England. The first T20I was washed out due to rain on Wednesday.
For the marquee event, PCB is trying to bring in former West Indies star Viv Richards as the team mentor.
It is believed that PCB’s attempt to rope in Richards is inspired by the 72-year-old’s impact and contribution to the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Richards serves as a mentor for the PSL franchise Quetta Gladiators.
However, PCB faces a major hurdle in their quest to bring in Richards due to the former batting maestro’s existing media commitments for the event.
Pakistan squad for the England series: Babar Azam (C), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.
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