Admittedly, I'm a huge Babar fan, but more importantly, I also like to think I'm not an absolute moron.
This squad is a complete and abject failure. The simple reason Pakistan only has three world titles, instead of say, 8-9, is solely due to conservatism that seems embedded in our psyche (AKA, "lets not rock the boat before major tournaments"). I'm genuinely curious if someone can explain how Pakistan systematically manages to be the only country on Earth that meanders for years in between tournaments, wins useless bilaterals, to only then run into disarray weeks prior to a major tournament, and ultimately, pick the same squad responsible for said disarray.
Make no mistake, this is a team of Babar and his social media besties, and not the best Pakistan XI. For God's sake, Hassan Ali is the only substantive change? If Haris or Shaheen get hurt, we're looking at an attack comprised of both Hassan and Wasim Jr.: this is 180+ runs guaranteed to the opposition - these two will get butchered on those tracks. A batting order consisting of Imam, Fakhar, Agha, Shadab, while the likes Saim, Azam, Moh'd Haris are just withering away? And please don't bother with the usual "let's just back the boys," "we can't bring in new guys so close to the tournament," or "we can't just bring back Imad and Amir" - WHY NOT? They are literally performing all over the world, but no, let's back Salman Agha...WTH. The only thing more disappointing than Pakistan conservatism is Pakistan expecting miracles on a template of tried, tested failures. The most ironic part is that our "arch-rivals" India suffered on this exact same template for a decade, with a ODI squad routinely comprised of household names, instead of limited-overs matchwinners. It took Dhoni to come in and "rock the boat" by picking unknown players like Kohli, Dhawan, Bhuvi, etc.
Also, an honest question, what is the point of the Selection Committee? Instead of big sweeping changes after the Asia Cup debacle and a "thorough reviw," all we heard about was Hafeez quitting, Inzi being MIA because he wanted more money, and boardroom leaks. Net result: wait for it...THE SAME SQUAD.
I can't wait for (in order): (i) Pakistan to beat up on a few minnows, (ii) Pakistan fans believing "this is the year," (iii) Pakistan fans making delusional, unhinged comparisons to '92, (iv) only for Pakistan to bottle it in the knockouts, (v) followed by the Pakistan team posting "apology" photos on Instagram, saying we are a "family," and posting a selfie with Kohli.
And yes, when when the above blueprint unfolds exactly as it's laid out, please do come back, and upvote this comment even further.
Until then, here's to a few weeks of delusion! #SMDH.
