Dawn.com survey: Fawad, Haris both make the cut in World Cup 15
Fawad Alam and Haris Sohail both made the cut while the experienced fast bowler Umar Gul also got the nod in a Dawn.com readers' selected Pakistan squad for the upcoming World Cup.
In the Dawn.com survey, readers overwhelmingly backed Misbah-ul-Haq as the right choice to lead Pakistan at the big event which kicks off from February 14.
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Mohammad Hafeez, who has been banned from bowling by the ICC for an illegal bowling action, did not find favour with the readers who rejected the Pakistan Cricket Board selectors' assessment of the 34-year-old player a 'specialist opener' in the World Cup squad of 15.
Interestingly, six players, Ahmed Shehzad, Misbah-ul Haq, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmad, were the core players in the squad for all the 2867 respondents in the survey.
When the survey posed the question 'Is Haris Sohail a better option than Fawad Alam?' to the readers, responders appeared slightly uncertain. 41% of the readers voted for Haris edged, 31% for Fawad while 21% were 'not sure.'
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The results backed the make up of the bowling attack which includes five fast bowlers, although the combination of fast men picked by the selectors could have been different, according to the readers.
The fast bowlers picked for the squad are Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Ehsan Adil, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz.
The surprise pick Sohail Khan was a hit with some on Dawn.com's interactive forums while many readers believed Umar Gul and Mohammad Talha should have been preferred over Sohail and Ehsan Adil.
The reader's selected squad of 15 for the World Cup
Ahmed Shehzad, Misbah-ul Haq, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmad, Umar Akmal, Younis Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Haris Sohail, Fawad Alam, Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Gul
Readers' total votes
Pakistan, placed in Group B, will open their campaign with a highly-charged clash against arch-rivals and defending champions India in Adelaide on February 15.
This will be followed by matches against the West Indies, Zimbabwe, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Ireland.
The top four teams from each of the two groups will qualify for the quarter-finals, leading up to the final in Melbourne on March 29.