Inzamam-ul-Haq has unveiled the 18-player roster for the upcoming 50-over world championships, set to take place in India from October to November.
The Pakistan squad includes:
- Captain: Babar Azam
- Vice-Captain: Shadab Khan
- Abdullah Shafique
- Fakhar Zaman
- Haris Rauf
- Hasan Ali
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper)
- Mohammad Wasim Jnr
- Salman Ali Agha
- Saud Shakeel
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Usama Mir
-Mohammad Haris
- Abrar Ahmed
- Zaman Khan
Inzamam-ul-Haq explained that they had to substitute pacer Naseem Shah with the bowling all-rounder Hasan Ali due to Naseem's right-shoulder injury.
Basit Ali, like other cricket experts and fans, has expressed reservations about the team selection for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. He believes that some players were selected based on personal relationships rather than merit and criticized the team for not choosing players based on performance.
Basit Ali specifically questioned the inclusion of batter Mohammad Haris and pacer Mohammad Wasim Jnr., suggesting that their selections may not be justified. It's worth noting that Mohammad Haris played only one game in the Asia Cup 2023, where he scored three runs. Mohammad Wasim was added to the Pakistan squad for the Asia Cup 2023 as a late replacement but didn't get a chance to play.
Basit Ali also raised concerns about favoritism within the team, highlighting that it was a prevalent issue during his playing days. Regarding Mohammad Hafeez's resignation from the Pakistan Cricket Board's technical committee, Basit Ali stated that Hafeez exposed the governing board and the selection committee's criteria for player selection through his resignation. He also advised former captain Misbah-ul-Haq to distance himself from the PCB and avoid getting involved in such issues.