The Pakistan Cricket Team was one of the very few teams who announced their World Cup 2023 squad just before the deadline for the squad submission. The reason behind Pakistan’s late submission was the fitness and injury concerns surrounding the team. Check the complete details of the 2023 World Cup Pakistan Squad.
2023 World Cup Pakistan Squad
The only change in the Pakistan squad is the surprise inclusion of Fast bowler Hassan Ali, who was out of favor because of his poor form. His inclusion in the Pakistan team for World Cup 2023 was prompted by exclusion of Naseem Shah, who suffered a shoulder injury during Asia Cup 2023. Naseem was one of the prime fast bowlers of Pakistan, and his exclusion resulted in a massive setback for Pakistan.
Below is a detailed analysis of the World Cup 2023 quad of Pakistan, which featured once in the ICC World Cup Champion list in 1992.
Pakistan Captain for World Cup 2023
Babar Azam will lead Pakistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Babar Azam has led Pakistan well. He has played in the semi-final of the 2021 T20 World Cup and the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup. However, critics believe that he fails to get the job done. Criticism was heaped on Babar Azam after an early exit of Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023.
So far, Babar Azam has captained Pakistan in 34 ODIs, winning 22 with a win percentage of 68. Babar is optimistic about his team’s chances at the World Cup 2023.
Pakistan Batters for World Cup 2023
Going back a few years, Pakistan’s batting was something that was made fun of. It would have been hard to say in the 2015 or 2019 World Cup that batting is Pakistan’s strongest point, but in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, batting will be Pakistan’s strongest point.
Pakistan’s batting lineup has Babar Azam and Imam ul Haq who both are ranked 1 st and 5th respectively in ICC batting rankings. Babar has 745 runs in ODI cricket this year While Imam-ul-Haq has scored 644 runs. Mohammad Rizwan averages 62 with the bat this year.
Apart from these big names, the Saud Shakeel and Agha Salman newcomers are also in phenomenal touch. Saud Shakeel scored an eye-pleasing fifty in the warmup game against New Zealand and showed his capabilities. Iftikhar Ahmed is another clutch player of Pakistan who has done well with the bat. He averaged 69 this year in ODI cricket with the bat.
Pakistan’s only weak point remains Fakhar Zaman, who still looking to find his true touch this year. Fakhar averages 46 in ODI cricket this year despite being out of touch, but his form has declined recently.
Pakistan Bowlers for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023
We have heard that Pakistan has had one fine bowling attack for years, but this statement can only be valid this year. Pakistan’s bowling is being questioned big time right before the mega event. They mainly miss Naseem Shah, as he had great control over his line and length. Moreover, Pakistan’s spin attack is also quite ordinary this time. Pakistani spin attack has been very disappointing as of late.
Shadab Khan, the lead leggie, averaged 39 with the ball in ODI cricket this year. He cannot pick wickets, which is a primary task of a leg-spinner. Mohammad Nawaz averaged 43 with the ball in ODI cricket in 2023. Usama Mir is better than the other two, but his bowling average is 35 in ODI cricket in 2023. All three spinners have found it tough to take wickets, and being unable to take them in the middle overs is hurting Pakistan already.
Shaheen Shah Afridi remains key. His performance was slightly shaky in the Asia Cup 2023, but Shaheen, along with Rauf, remains Pakistan’s best bowlers. Both have picked 24 wickets each this year in ODI cricket and have their average under 25. Among the part-timers, Agha Salman is good but not a wicket-taker. Mohammad Wasim Jnr. has played fewer games, but his line and length are also quite ordinary.
Hasan Ali was the surprise inclusion in this squad, replacing Naseem Shah. Hasan Ali’s numbers were ordinary in domestic cricket, but he was picked based on his LPL performance. The Cricket Pundits believe that Hasan was added because Pakistan ran out of options as Mohammad Hasnain and Ihsanullah were also injured.
All-Rounders of Pakistan for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023
Pakistan need to get better off all-rounders, too, for the World Cup. Their two main all-rounders are Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan. Both of them have failed this year with the ball. Shadab’s batting is useful, but Nawaz is quite ordinary with the bat too.
The other all-rounders include Iftikhar Ahmed and Agha Salman, but they are more batting all-rounders. Agha is useful for getting rid of quick overs, while Iftikhar Ahmed can be handy against left-handed batters and spinning conditions.
Pakistan 2023 World Cup Player List
Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
