Pakistan finalize their 15-member squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024

[FearlessRoar]

Ahmed Shehzad shared his thoughts on Pakistan's preparations for the T20 World Cup during a program on a local news channel:

"I have talked about it before; we are absolutely not prepared for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, and there is no reason to lie about it. When Babar Azam was asked about being satisfied with preparations, he evaded the question, stating it is a team formed by selectors, without acknowledging readiness. Because they know themselves that they are not prepared."

"At the same time, it is not about the past two years; it is about four and a half years, for the sake of benching seniors to bring in a young lot, while simultaneously having these same individuals captain in the PSL. We moved forward as a crowd, with people supporting the belief that these are the boys who will win ICC tournaments, the ICC Champions Trophy, and the Asia Cup. Have we seen any such success? That the players they excluded from the squad aren't already brought back?"

"Interestingly, no one is ready to accept defeat or claim responsibility. If we lack a stable middle order, if our strike rate is subpar, if our spin attack is inconsistent, if our preparations are incomplete, or if due to our fast bowlers we prefer to chase totals rather than bat first, no one has admitted to these mistakes."

 

[BouncerGuy]

Mohammad Hafeez speaking during a TV show:

"The team selected by the selectors is the best one because some of the players had already left cricket but selectors thought that they could do well for Pakistan, so they were brought back. I don’t think there is anything left to question about the selection, but now it’s all about execution. This major tournament requires special performances from all players; it’s not just one or two players who can win the tournament for you. Sometimes it happens that one player performs and wins a couple of games for you, but to win the tournament, everyone has to chip in.”

“At the moment, Pakistan has a very good balance when you talk about their bowling and their top-order batting. They are struggling in the middle order, and their spinners are not firing at the moment, which is a concern to me. If you are in the West Indies and your spinners are not doing well, then you are going to struggle. We have played cricket in that part of the world, and if the spinners don’t do well, it doesn’t matter how many runs you score, it is always going to be tough. My best wishes are with Pakistan as a Pakistani, and I don’t think there is anything left but for them to believe in themselves, go out there, and execute."​

 

[BouncerGuy]

'He's a real star in the making': Ponting predicts bright future for Pakistan youngster

Ricky Ponting thinks an inexperienced Pakistan batter can leave his mark on proceedings during the b

Australia great Ricky Ponting believes Pakistan look a much more settled team with Babar Azam at the helm and has nominated a young batter at the top of the order that is ready to turn heads at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Babar was reinstated as Pakistan's white-ball captain earlier this year following a brief period where star fast bowler Shaheen Afridi was in charge in the shortest format of the game.

And Ponting thinks Pakistan's chances of going one better than their runner up finish at the most recent edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022 and matching their sole title success from 2009, appear much brighter with Babar in charge.

“Captaincy just sits well with some people and it doesn't sit well with others,” Ponting told The ICC Review.

“We've seen it through the years that some of the best players that have ever played the game have not necessarily made the best captains and the thing that makes some of the very best players so good is how focused they are on what they need to do to get better and to be the best and find a way every day to get better.

“And when you are captain, you can't do that. You've got to actually compartmentalize what you're doing, look after your own game, look after all the guys around you. So some guys can manage that better than others.

“I reckon Babar, when he first started, I had that feeling that he... because if you look at his record, his numbers went down on the back of it. So I think he might have learned a bit from that.

“Shaheen didn't set the world on fire as a leader either, so I think going back into a World Cup it just looks like a more settled team when you've got someone like Babar as captain rather than Afridi.”

While much of Pakistan's fortunes at the T20 World Cup will rest with Babar and reliable lieutenant Mohammad Rizwan, Ponting believes there is a young batter at the top of their batting order that might cause a surprise.

Saim Ayub opened the batting alongside Rizwan during Pakistan's recent T20I series against Ireland and Ponting thinks the hard-hitting left-hander may be worth keeping an eye on at the T20 World Cup.

"I loved the look of Ayub out here during the Australian summer," Ponting noted.

"He played that Test match in Sydney, I reckon it was and I didn't know much about him then.

"When I'm sitting there commentating, I like to know about players and what they can do, so I actually went back and had a look at some of his PSL stuff.

"And he's a proper player. I think he's a real star in the making."

ICC

 

[mominsaigol]

Ahmed Shehzad shared his thoughts on Pakistan's preparations for the T20 World Cup during a program on a local news channel:

"I have talked about it before; we are absolutely not prepared for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, and there is no reason to lie about it. When Babar Azam was asked about being satisfied with preparations, he evaded the question, stating it is a team formed by selectors, without acknowledging readiness. Because they know themselves that they are not prepared."

"At the same time, it is not about the past two years; it is about four and a half years, for the sake of benching seniors to bring in a young lot, while simultaneously having these same individuals captain in the PSL. We moved forward as a crowd, with people supporting the belief that these are the boys who will win ICC tournaments, the ICC Champions Trophy, and the Asia Cup. Have we seen any such success? That the players they excluded from the squad aren't already brought back?"

"Interestingly, no one is ready to accept defeat or claim responsibility. If we lack a stable middle order, if our strike rate is subpar, if our spin attack is inconsistent, if our preparations are incomplete, or if due to our fast bowlers we prefer to chase totals rather than bat first, no one has admitted to these mistakes."

Honestly I have to respect shehzad here. Whatever his intentions are, he's saying the absolute truth here.

Anyone who denies what he claims atm and I repeat claims( not a discussion about secret hidden motives) is just a blind fanboy who's delusional to reality.

Pakistan does not have a stable middle order, shadab is not a good spinner neither is chacha or saim and babar evades questions about preparation as if he's evading covid 19.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

This is the best available squad in terms of talent but sadly most of the players are out of form or just not good enough for International cricket despite them being head and shoulders above the domestic crappy cricketers we are producing these days.

So in short only prayers can work with this squad.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Bowling attack is decent to be honest but Babar's robotic captaincy means they will be underperforming in most of the games.

 

[AAli98]

They ain’t winning the cup even if xyz was added to the squad. Just don’t get pumped by 1 of the minnows & embarrass the nation.

How this is a minnow and how you can say pak can't win world Cup so surely?

Told you so

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Akhtar's Theory Proven Wrong As Pakistan Qualify For 2026 T20 WC Despite Poor Display. This Is The Reason

Few days back, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar had suggested that the team might have to play qualifiers to get into the main draw of the next T20 World Cup in 2026. Akhtar's remark came after Pakistan were stunned by USA in a group game of the ongoing addition. He had suggested that Pakistan must beat India to get out of the group stage, or else they could be forced to take part in the 2026 T20 World Cup qualifiers. However, Pakistan also lost to India, failing to get out of the group stage of the tournament.

Akhtar's claim, however, has been proven wrong as Pakistan's secured a direct entry for the tournament in 2026, set to be joint-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

How Pakistan qualified T20 World Cup 2026?

As per ICC rules, 12 out of the 20 participating teams will gain automatic entry for the event in 2026. While India and Sri Lanka got direct entry as co-hosts, teams who have qualified for the Super 8 stage in the ongoing edition have also managed to secure their respective berths.

India, Sri Lanka, Australia, England, West Indies, Afghanistan, South Africa, Bangladesh and USA have already secured direct qualification for the group stage.

Source: NDTV

 

[Sadozai]

Akhtar's Theory Proven Wrong As Pakistan Qualify For 2026 T20 WC Despite Poor Display. This Is The Reason

Few days back, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar had suggested that the team might have to play qualifiers to get into the main draw of the next T20 World Cup in 2026. Akhtar's remark came after Pakistan were stunned by USA in a group game of the ongoing addition. He had suggested that Pakistan must beat India to get out of the group stage, or else they could be forced to take part in the 2026 T20 World Cup qualifiers. However, Pakistan also lost to India, failing to get out of the group stage of the tournament.

Akhtar's claim, however, has been proven wrong as Pakistan's secured a direct entry for the tournament in 2026, set to be joint-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

How Pakistan qualified T20 World Cup 2026?

As per ICC rules, 12 out of the 20 participating teams will gain automatic entry for the event in 2026. While India and Sri Lanka got direct entry as co-hosts, teams who have qualified for the Super 8 stage in the ongoing edition have also managed to secure their respective berths.

India, Sri Lanka, Australia, England, West Indies, Afghanistan, South Africa, Bangladesh and USA have already secured direct qualification for the group stage.

Source: NDTV

How Pakistan qualified for T20 WC 2026? this question still not answered in this post..

 

[MSHKing]

How Pakistan qualified for T20 WC 2026? this question still not answered in this post..

Top 12 teams out of 20 will qualify automatically including hosts. Hosts and 8 teams of round 2 are already qualified. Since India is already in those 8 teams. SL is 9th team for being co-host. Remaining teams are based on rankings. New Zealnd ranked 6, Pakistan ranked 7 are 10 and 11th team. Ireland ranked 11th and 12th team. The cut off date is June 30, 2024. There are no other T20s happening so these teams will qualify automatically.
1. India
2. South Africa
3. Eng
4. Afg
5. West Indies
6. Australia
7. Bangladesh
8. USA
9. Sir Lanka
10. New Zealand
11. Pakistan
12. Ireland