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Pakistan Cricket Board's National Selection Committee, led by Chief Selector Inzamamul Haq, has announced the names of the 15 players to be included in Pakistan's one-day international (ODI) squad for the upcoming series against Australia.
Pakistan will play five ODI matches in the series from January 13, 2017 to January 26, 2017.
The selection has been made after consultation with the team's head coach and the ODI captain.
"The ODI team has been selected keeping the conditions in Australia in mind and the performances of players in the recent ODI series against West Indies and in domestic cricket," explained Inzamamul Haq.
"The team is a fine blend of experience and youth and the selectors have stuck to the same combination of players that played against West Indies earlier. We believe that team will do well in the tour,” he added.
The names on the squad are:
- Azhar Ali (Captain)
- Sharjeel Khan
- Babar Azam
- Asad Shafiq
- Shoaib Malik
- Sarfraz Ahmed (Vice captain and wicket-keeper)
- Umar Akmal
- Mohammad Rizwan
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Imad Wasim
- Rahat Ali
- Mohammad Amir
- Wahab Riaz
- Hasan Ali
- Mohammed Irfan
Yasir Shah and Sohail Khan have been dropped from the line-up.
While talking to DawnNews fast-pacer Mohammad Irfan said, “I am really thankful to the selectors and the management who have shown their trust by including me in the team,”
Talking about his fitness Irfan said that he has been playing domestic first-class cricket in long-form and ODI format, so he is in full form and will use his fitness to benefit the Pakistani side.
The seven-feet-tall bowler says that he has an advantage of his height which gives him extra bounce and he will use that to take wickets. “I am the only bowler with this height and I have an advantage of this which I will use on the bouncy pitches of Australia and take wickets,” he said.
“My main target is Smith who is in form right now, as my bounce is unusual I will try to use it to bowl him out,” he said.
“I had difficulty in the first two matches in the World Cup but now I am familiar of those pitches and will bowl the right delivery needed to take wickets,” the bowler added.
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On DawnNews
Comments (34) Closed
Dec 30, 2016 01:17pm
So they kept Rahat Ali and dropped Sohail Khan? He performed with both bat and ball. What else do you want fron him?
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Dec 30, 2016 01:26pm
Yet again poor selection by retaining Rahat Ali and dropping Sohail Khan, Junaid Khan is surely better than all of them after Mohd Aamir. Could have excluded Mohd Nawaz as well as the pitches will not assists spinners.
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Dec 30, 2016 01:53pm
should have included Junaid Khan in place of Rahat Ali
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Dec 30, 2016 01:57pm
Why Imad Wasim is not playing in test side? He is a good all rounder, don't understand Pakistan cricket !
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Dec 30, 2016 02:17pm
where is Junaid khan.
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Dec 30, 2016 02:51pm
not fair selection. M Irfan is not fit for ODI
why not Junaid Khan? Inzi Bhai, do you have any problem with Junaid Khan?
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Dec 30, 2016 03:05pm
Fails to understand why Mohammad Rizwan is part of team, there can be better more suited options but persisting with him is inexplicable.
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Dec 30, 2016 03:24pm
@Sab Se Pehle Pakistan you are so right the selectors are clueless .Look at Australians the players at their peak they retire gracefully .They know that reactions on fast wickets are slow you need young energetic players yet we persist this ideology old is gold
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Dec 30, 2016 03:40pm
Pakistan will loose the series 0-5.
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Dec 30, 2016 03:41pm
@I M Khan Their was fair selection for test matches but still Pakistan lost the test series.
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Dec 30, 2016 04:07pm
What a wonderful player Wahab Riaz is...... No matter how many matches Pakistan lost... He will stay with the team..... A real performer without performance
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Dec 30, 2016 04:34pm
why Mohammad Rizwan be part of the team again and again...?? When last time he perform and what performance he is been giving so many chance..?? Same goes to Wahab Riaz...??? When he perform Match winning performance last time...??? Very disappointed with chairman selection Inzi Bhai.
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Dec 30, 2016 04:46pm
@Mandy Even in test matches there was no fair selection per my understanding. Easily, Fawad Alam and Junaid Khan should have been included in the squad. In ODI, there is no automatic choice for Wahab Riaz and we all know Rahat Ali cannot bat.
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Dec 30, 2016 05:03pm
Inzi looks quite biased or naive in team selection or may be he himself doesn't watch Pakistan's matches.
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Dec 30, 2016 05:21pm
Inzi is biased with Fawad Alam, Roman Raees, Junaid Khan these are talented and well cricketers but bad luck no chance talented Wahab, Rahat, Aamir and Shohaib Malik get chances they have strong SIFARSH. Result will be bad, no hope, Inzi always prefer his friends, why above 3 barred them.
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Dec 30, 2016 07:39pm
@Umar Very good points!
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Dec 30, 2016 08:47pm
@Mandy: Who says selection was fair? Do you know Sami Aslam has FC average 36 and Babar Azam average is 39? ... Are there no batsmen in Pakistan first class whose average is better than them? Fact is that, there are 10s of Pakistani fine batsmen who rot without getting into test, but somehow, batsmen lower ability keep finding a place in national team, than when Pakistan collapse, instead of stop going on like, dislike, parchi, nepotism, corruption, and so on, all start talking about ... yea tou game hay ... tum haro yea jeeto, hamay tum say piyar hay.
Same is happening at various places in country, be that political posts, or bureaucracy, police, judiciary, intelligence or forces, and poor are suffering ... while, country is going down the drain.
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Dec 30, 2016 09:23pm
Thanks to inzi... He stamps the destiny of 5-o. pakistan will be whitewashed for sure..
even a lay man can say that
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Dec 30, 2016 10:00pm
Only mad selection committee will ever think of dropping Khalid Latif after the way he batted in last series.Time to move Imad Wasim,Umar Akmal in Test squad along with Ahmed Shehzad.
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Dec 30, 2016 10:05pm
Don't play Yasir Shah outside subcontinent as he is not able to adjust to alien condition.It is common for the subcontinent spinner.Better to play Imaad Wasim and Muhammad Nawaz as spinner in those conditions.Imaad Wasim deserves place in Test squad along with Umar Akmal,Ahmed Shehzad.Babar Azaam ,Sami Aslam not ready yet for highest level of cricket.
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Dec 30, 2016 11:04pm
@Fatima Saadia I don't think Babar Azaam or Sami Aslaam deserve to be given any more chances.It was pain to watch them.I would rather go with old players then pre mature players.
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Dec 30, 2016 11:51pm
Where is junaid khan? Why Hassan Ali? I was expecting Sohail khan not rahat Ali. and Kamran Akmal instead of Muhammad Rizwan he never performed. Completely looks team selection is being done under pressure that's why we are at no 8.please change the captain
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Dec 31, 2016 01:24am
Junaid Khan and Sohail Khan deserve to be in the side instead of Irfan and Rahat. Irfan has fitness issues and would not last for 5 matches while Rahat is an ordinary bowler compared to Junaid. Even Wahab is too expensive for one dayers.
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Dec 31, 2016 05:52am
@hashim
Have u seen Junaid's eco rate in the domestic cricket,he can not contain loCal batsmen,how can he contain the international batsmen?
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Dec 31, 2016 10:52am
Mohd Irfan's structure does not support him to be a pace bowler as he is prone to injury.
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Dec 31, 2016 12:49pm
Enough of Wahab & Rahat.
Selection committee has no power. Blame the team management for the result.
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Dec 31, 2016 03:38pm
Rahat Ali & Mohd Rizwan- who do they know to be keep getting selected ahead of all rounder Sohail Khan (badly needed replacement of Razzaq), Junaid Khan, Kamran Akmal and Fawad Alam.....
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Dec 31, 2016 06:31pm
If I was Australian Captain, my strategy would be to have very defensive bowling and fielding when Azhar is batting and make sure that he does not get out (drop all catches he gives and ask bowler never to ball straight on the wicket, neither appeal if he gets LBW).
In this way, Australia can make sure that Pakistan total stays low whatever happens with other batsmen, as Azhar would make sure to block 30 plus overs for maybe 60 odd runs, and with him on the wicket, other batsmen would play slow too (probably making 80 to 100 in remaining 20 odd overs they would face).
So, in this way, Australia would succeed in restricting Pakistan within 150 runs (in 50 overs), maybe at most 200 runs (in 50 overs) if others play recklessly and manage to stay on wicket.
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Dec 31, 2016 10:01pm
@KM Malaysia Rizwan is favorite of Azhar Ali. That is the reason he is in the squad
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Jan 01, 2017 01:01am
Another recipe of disaster. 5-0 in favor of Australia for sure. Other than Sharjeel and Umer Akmal, everyone is tuk tuk but they are inconsistent too! Pakistan has to play in qualifying round.
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Jan 01, 2017 03:29am
Md.Irfan - again making statements about targeting Smith with his bounce.... what a pity, even before getting there and playing a game, he has come up with a plan. this kind of statements will not go down well. just head down, perform and play to your potential. dont talk.
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Jan 01, 2017 08:08am
where is Mahommed Hafeez And shahezad his A star cricketr of pak
pls Back hafeez
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Jan 01, 2017 08:59am
I am really very happy for the odi team I am fun sarfarz Ahmad sarfarz ia very good playar and good vice captain and wicket keeper
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Jan 02, 2017 11:48am
where is junaid khan . and ahmad shahzad.pcb is currupted .
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