KARACHI – Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2018 stars Asif Ali and Hussain Talathave both been named in the 12-member team to face West Indies in the firstT20 international at National Stadium on April 1.
Both or either of Islamabad United’s hard-hitting batsman Asif Ali and histeammate, all-rounder Hussain Talat could make their debut for Pakistan onSunday.
Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed confirmed the final 12 for the first T20I ina press conference today evening.
Ahmed Shehzad, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, SarfrazAhmed (captain, wicketkeeper), Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, MohammadNawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali.Returning pacers Rahat Ali and Usman Khan Shinwari and Lahore Qalandars’speed sensation Shaheen Shah Afridi have been omitted from the lineup forthe opening T20.
‘Will try to clean sweep to retain top T20 ranking’ Sarfraz Ahmed has seteyes on a clean sweep of the West Indies in order to retain the top T20team ranking for Pakistan.
A 3-0 victory will take Pakistan four points clear of Australia, who hadclosed in on them following a 2-0 series win over New Zealand last month.
Pakistan and Australia are both currently on 126 points, with Pakistanahead on decimal points, as per the International Cricket Council (ICC)rankings.A 2-1 win for Pakistan will not change the position or points for eitherside, while a 2-1 win for the Windies will pull Pakistan down to the secondspot with 123 points, just two more than third-placed India.