T20 World Cup 2024: Mohammad Amir, Imad return as Pakistan announce 15-member squad
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to be held from June 1 to June 29 in the West Indies and USA, with Babar Azam leading the team.
Notably, Pakistan are the last team to announce their squad for the marquee ICC event. Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim returned to Pakistan’s 15-man team, while eight members of the 2022 World Cup squad were retained for the following tournament. Both Imad and Amir have made a retirement U-turn to play this T20 World Cup.
All-rounder Salman Ali Agha and fast bowler Muhammad Irfan Khan, who were part of the 18-member squad for the series against Ireland and England, are also missing from the lineup. Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Saim Ayub, and Usman Khan are among the 15 players chosen for their first T20 World Cup, while Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim last competed in the 2016 and 2021 games. The remaining eight players competed in the 2022 event in Australia.
According to the PCB, Abdul Razzaq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Bilal Afzal, Gary Kirsten, Mohammad Yousuf, and Wahab Riaz all attended a two-hour selection meeting. “This is an extremely talented and balanced side that has a mixture of youth and experience. These players have been playing together for some time and look well prepared and settled for next month’s event,” PCB said in its statement. Haris Rauf, a fast bowler, returned to the squad after recovering from a dislocated shoulder sustained during a Pakistan Super League match in February, while Hasan Ali, who had been called up for the Ireland tour before the World Cup, was removed.
“Haris Rauf is fully fit and bowling well in the nets. It would have been nice if he had gotten an outing at Headingley, but we remain confident that he will continue to maintain an upward trajectory in the upcoming matches, as he will have an important role to play along with other strike bowlers in the T20 World Cup,” the statement further added. Pakistan are grouped in Group A alongside India, Ireland, Canada, and co-hosts the United States of America. It will play its debut game against the United States on June 6 in Dallas.
Pakistan have one of the most impressive records in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which began in South Africa in 2007. It won the 2009 event under Younis Khan and advanced to the finals twice, under Shoaib Malik (2007) and Babar Azam (2022). It advanced to the last four in 2010, 2012, and 2021 respectively.
Pakistan’s Squad for T20 World Cup 2024
Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan