Hafeez, Younis included in Pakistan WC squad; Gul misses out
Mohammad Hafeez, despite having failed the unofficial bowling action test in Chennai recently, has been picked in the Pakistan squad for ICC Cricket World Cup, 2015. Pacers, Umar Gul and Bilawal Bhatti, who are yet to fully recover from injuries, have been left out of the side, while Younis Khan has made it to the final fifteen.
Gul underwent an operation last May in Melbourne after suffering a recurrence of a knee injury and has struggled to touch top fitness and bowling form since completing the rehabilitation period. He suffered a recurrence of the knee injury last year after being called up for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka in the UAE and was not considered for the Tests.
Nasir Jamshed and Sohail Tanvir, who played against New Zealand recently, have also been axed from the side. The other players from the squad that played NZ who are not a part of the WC squad are Anwar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Zulfiqar Babar.
There was a surprise call-up for Sohail Khan, the 30-year-old pacer from Malakand. Khan had last represented his country in Zimbabwe in 2011. The right-armer, however, bowled himself into contention following some strong performances in domestic cricket, including a haul of 6/46 a day before the squad was announced.
There were also call-ups for Shoaib Maqsood, Junaid Khan and Ehsan Adil - the three had missed the series against NZ due to injuries. Young allrounder, Harris Sohail's ODI form against New Zealand last month has earned him a maiden World Cup berth, while wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed's 2014 run of good scores in all formats has been rewarded too.
The PCB selectors have named five fast bowlers - Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Ehsan Adil, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz - and Yasir Shah as the specialist spinner to back-up Shahid Afridi.
The PCB selectors have named five fast bowlers - Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Ehsan Adil, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz - and Yasir Shah as the specialist spinner to back-up Shahid Afridi.
"This is the best possible squad from the available resources, and the selectors believe it has the requisite talent and skill-set to recapture the World Cup Down Under after 22 years," said chief selector Moin Khan. "My request to all Pakistanis is to back the national team in its quest for glory.
Four factors were of prime import for selectors: Suitability to play in conditions in Australia and New Zealand; performance in international contests; performance in domestic cricket and preference to the choices suggested by captain and head coach, Team Pakistan. Of the selected squad of 15, eight have played in the last World Cup, while the remaining seven have been picked after their recent form impressed the selectors. This makes it a pretty decent blend of experience and youth," Khan added.
"Despite a recent poor run of form in limited-overs cricket, in my mind, theres no doubt on the capability of this side to excelling in the World Cup. It indeed is a formidable unit, with the potential and natural flair to perform well at the ICCs premier global showpiece event. And if the boys hit form individually and as combinations and peak at the right time, this bunch has the capacity to go all the way to the winners' podium."
"Despite a recent poor run of form in limited-overs cricket, in my mind, theres no doubt on the capability of this side to excelling in the World Cup. It indeed is a formidable unit, with the potential and natural flair to perform well at the ICCs premier global showpiece event. And if the boys hit form individually and as combinations and peak at the right time, this bunch has the capacity to go all the way to the winners' podium."
Pakistan Squad for World Cup:
Misbah ul Haq(c), Ahmed Shehzad, Shoaib Maqsood, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Harris Sohail, Umar Akmal, Sarfaraz Ahmed(wk), Shahid Afridi, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Ehsan Adil, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz.
© ICC World Cup Streaming
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