LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Selector Mohammad Wasim on Friday said that the Pakistani squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup can be changed under “special circumstances and in exceptional cases”.
Talking to private news channel Dawn News, Muhammad Wasim said the management had not mulled over changing the T20 squad, and hoped the team could reach the tournament’s finals.
“We did not announce the ICC World T20 Squad just to make changes later but under special circumstances and in exceptional cases, we can make changes in the announced squad,” he announced.
However, he admitted there were problems with the middle-order batsmen in the national side and implied that the previous management, led by former coach Misbah-ul-Haq, was to blame.
“Most of the middle-order players did not perform as per expectations and were not able to cement their place. I also have my reservations about the way chances were given to a few players by the previous management,” he added.
Taking about the batting strength, he said, “We have a solid opening stand in the form of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, we also have experienced Mohammad Hafeez in the batting order.”
Wasim also defended selecting Asif, Khushdil and Azam, saying he was “hopeful” they would all perform well in the T20 World Cup. “Asif Ali performed well as a power hitter in the PSL and Khushdil Shah showed improvement in the recent domestic season. Azam Khan also maintained a good strike rate in PSL,” he added.
When asked about former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed’s exclusion, the chief selector hinted that there was no place for him in the immediate future. “Sarfaraz was in the Pakistan squad for the last two years but after Rizwan’s emergence and especially after his world-class performances, Sarfaraz did not find a slot in the playing 11,” he added.
