The ICC WT20 squad selection will be one of the toughest in Pakistan's history

[Sher Khan]

I would honestly hate to be Mohammad Wasim right now. He has got a hell of a task in his hands.

The West Indies series has made his job even tougher. As he now does not know if Sharjeel and Azam can be relied upon in the WT20. Both are largely untested and have not performed in their limited chances.

Furthermore, the real test for him will be if he falls back onto the rather "reliable" options of Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz. I would expect if he does it will be the safer option for him and for Pakistan Cricket.

However, if he doesn't which I have a feeling he won't all to show that he is a "progressive" Chief selector. He will face the wrath of TV experts and Pakistan's performance could not be great.

I have a feeling the squad selection announcement will be met with strong controversy either way. It will be one of the hardest selections in Pakistan history.

 

[MenInG]

Well, if Wasim has done his job right, he would have identified the right people for this squad by now but there seems to be some issues with the personnel.

I am extremely not confident that Haris Rauf will be useful, although Dahani who was not in the T20s so far should have been tried out also.

 

[Sher Khan]

Well, if Wasim has done his job right, he would have identified the right people for this squad by now but there seems to be some issues with the personnel.

I am extremely not confident that Haris Rauf will be useful, although Dahani who was not in the T20s so far should have been tried out also.

You are correct. Hence, why I think this selection will be tough for Wasim. It's clear that some of the players like Rauf that have been playing don't deserve a spot in the WT20 squad.

So then does he choose to go back to Wahab? The selections will be scrutinized heavily either way.

 

[Rana]

Give Sharjeel Khan as many chances as Rizwan has had on his comeback

Doodh ka Doodh aur Paani ka Paani ho jaye ga

 

[Walawalkar]

Give Sharjeel Khan as many chances as Rizwan has had on his comeback

Doodh ka Doodh aur Paani ka Paani ho jaye ga

Please Don't compare Player like Rizwan who is Legend in making with that fixer Sharjeel.

 

[Bewal Express]

The sad reality is that bar Babar and Riz, we could rid of all other players and we wouldn't be any worse. If we reach the SF then it would be a major achievement.

 

[Rana]

Please Don't compare Player like Rizwan who is Legend in making with that fixer Sharjeel.

Well then Sharjeel should not be in the PCB set up if we can’t compare the two according to you,

Oh wait...that’s not quite the case is it?

 

[Rana]

The sad reality is that bar Babar and Riz, we could rid of all other players and we wouldn't be any worse. If we reach the SF then it would be a major achievement.

You underestimate the impact players like Fakhar, Hafeez and Hassan Ali can have on a match and overestimate the accumulative power possessed by Babar and Rizwan

 

[Bewal Express]

You underestimate the impact players like Fakhar, Hafeez and Hassan Ali can have on a match and overestimate the accumulative power possessed by Babar and Rizwan

FZ is generally awful these days,Hafeez is a perennial failure and should have gone a decade ago and HA is more more miss than hit.

 

[NauV]

For me this needs to be the line up:

1. Fakhar
2. Babar
3. (Rizwan floater) - if Babar gets out, send Rizwan . . if Babar is batting, Rizwan keeps dropping down - Babar and Rizwan both opening together is fraught with danger regardless of how much they're averaging together
4. Hafeez
5. Shoaib Malik (Contentious, but unfortunately no one has taken up that position . . and he has played well in domestic tournaments . . I woulnd't take a risk by having an un-proven player in a world cup . . + Shoaib Malik is aright in the UAE)
6. Maqsood
7. Imad
8. Hasan
9. Qadir/Shadab
10. Shaheen
11. Husnain

In the reserves:
12. M. Nawaz
13. Shadab/Qadir
14. Mohammad Wasim/Faheem
15. Haider Ali
16. Dahani

As long as there's no Haris Rauf . . .

 

[Extra_Cover]

The following are confirmed picks:
1. Babar
2. Rizwan
3. Fakhar
4. Hafeez
5. Shadab
6. Hasan
7. Shaheen

The following is a list of more or less confirmed due to recent attachment with the team:
8. Sohaib Maqsood
9. Faheem
10. Imad Wasim

This leaves us with 5 remaining options to fill out our team with. The selection should ideally be for following positions.
x1 top order batsman - Options: Sharjeel and Haider
x2 middle/lower order batsman - Options: Azam Khan, Malik, Iftikhar, Khushdil, Asif Ali
x1 fast bowler - Options: Husnain, Haris Rauf and Wasim Jr
x1 spinner - Options: Qadir, Nawaz and Zahid Mehmood

From the above I would pick the following:
- Haider Ali - Brings the x factor with him
- Malik and Khushdil - They can bludgeon spinners. There will be a lot of spinners in UAE
- Husnain - Better than spraygun (Haris Rauf) and more experienced than Wasim Jr
- Qadir - We do not have a spinner who can flight the ball like Qadir does. Shadab, Imad and Hafeez are darters and it makes no sense to add another darter like Nawaz in the mix. Qadir is different from them and hence should get on plane for T20 WC.

 

[Maher96]

I think due to corona squad sizes will be 17 plus 4 reserve players I assume also.

Babar
Sharjeel
Rizwan
Sohaib
Hafeez
Shoaib
Haider Ali
Hassan Ali
Shadab
Wahab Riaz
Shaheen

Imad
Faheem
Sarfraz
Qadir
Wasim Jr
Dahani

This team should bring glory home one would assume.

 

[Manzy2599]

I don’t understand how it’s the toughest in pak history. It’s too late now to be trying domestic performers cause they won’t get a proper chance before the World Cup so they need to go with most of the current group who’s been selected.

Regarding Malik and Wahab it’s absolutely ridiculous that the captain isn’t getting a say in selection. They may be past their prime but if babar wants Malik who’s done well in uae why is muhammed wasim interfering.

People love to compare babar with Kohli but can anyone imagine if kohli asked a bcci selector for a particular player and they declined? No it wouldn’t happen so why is Babar being shut down.

On one hand Pakistan want an aggressive captain but they don’t wanna give him freedom either. You can’t have your cake and eat it.

This is Babar’s team he should be leading from the front, not Misbah, muhammed Wasim or Waqar...

 

[shamaan]

I don’t understand how it’s the toughest in pak history. It’s too late now to be trying domestic performers cause they won’t get a proper chance before the World Cup so they need to go with most of the current group who’s been selected.

Regarding Malik and Wahab it’s absolutely ridiculous that the captain isn’t getting a say in selection. They may be past their prime but if babar wants Malik who’s done well in uae why is muhammed wasim interfering.

People love to compare babar with Kohli but can anyone imagine if kohli asked a bcci selector for a particular player and they declined? No it wouldn’t happen so why is Babar being shut down.

On one hand Pakistan want an aggressive captain but they don’t wanna give him freedom either. You can’t have your cake and eat it.

This is Babar’s team he should be leading from the front, not Misbah, muhammed Wasim or Waqar...

What's the job of the selector if he can't interfere

 

[msb314]

You underestimate the impact players like Fakhar, Hafeez and Hassan Ali can have on a match and overestimate the accumulative power possessed by Babar and Rizwan

He is not wrong.

What do Fakhar, Hafeez and HassanAli have to show for themselves in the last 6 months?

 

[drubwrubnat]

Shoaib Malik & Hafeez - these two should be dropped on general principle. Period.
Haider Ali, HA, Hasnain should be playing.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

He is not wrong.

What do Fakhar, Hafeez and HassanAli have to show for themselves in the last 6 months?

Who are the 3 players that should replace Fakhar, Hafeez and Hassan Ali? And what have they done in the last 6 months to deserve a spot in the team?

 

[ElRaja]

on the contrary, a handful of names are auto picks, babar, riz, hafeez, shaheen, imad, hassan, the rest you could literally have a lottery for selections and it wouldnt matter cos most of them, batsmen especially, are not international standard.

 

[UzmanBeast]

What's the job of the selector if he can't interfere

The issue is not the interference, it's that he has no logical reason apart from age to neglect Malik's inclusion.

Hafeez and Malik are of the same age, so it can be argued that Hafeez should be dropped as well.

Mohammad Wasim is as clueless as our previous chief selectors, it's quite apparent with the problems he has created and how he cannot keep any consistency in his thought process.

I expect him to select the most problematic squad out of all teams participating in the world cup. His power should be reduced, and he should focus on making more competent decisions regarding the need of the hour.

T20Is are irrelevant, and if Malik improves our chances of winning silverware, it makes no sense to leave him out. T20s are useless in terms of grooming youngsters, they are better off playing FC Cricket. Surely someone like Mohammad Wasim understands that, but it's clear that he has his priorities mixed.

 

[shamaan]

The issue is not the interference, it's that he has no logical reason apart from age to neglect Malik's inclusion.

Hafeez and Malik are of the same age, so it can be argued that Hafeez should be dropped as well.

Mohammad Wasim is as clueless as our previous chief selectors, it's quite apparent with the problems he has created and how he cannot keep any consistency in his thought process.

I expect him to select the most problematic squad out of all teams participating in the world cup. His power should be reduced, and he should focus on making more competent decisions regarding the need of the hour.

T20Is are irrelevant, and if Malik improves our chances of winning silverware, it makes no sense to leave him out. T20s are useless in terms of grooming youngsters, they are better off playing FC Cricket. Surely someone like Mohammad Wasim understands that, but it's clear that he has his priorities mixed.

And he has said that due to his age I will not select him right ?
What problems ?
Personally he should be in the squad but he's similar to the players we already have in the squad.

 

[mastimasti]

I think Pakistan actually have a settled core to their side, the following players make up a good group of t20 cricketers:

Babar
Rizwan
Shadab
Shaheen
Hasan Ali
Rauf
Hasnain
Imad
Fakhar

That's a total of 9 players, add in 4 or 5 more and that's a solid squad. It's about playing the right combination and knowing which spinners to use. The only department lacking is power hitting down the order. Fakhar looks promising but I'm worried about Hafeez and anyone else picked, i.e. Maqsood or Asif.

 

[UzmanBeast]

And he has said that due to his age I will not select him right ?
What problems ?
Personally he should be in the squad but he's similar to the players we already have in the squad.

The difference is his apparent contradiction and how he tries to cover it up with fancy powerpoints.

He has never been able to justify the selection of Haris Rauf in the test squad.

He only picked Rauf because he played for Northern, the team he used to coach before becoming the chief selector.

That type of favoritism is quite apparent elsewhere, and I made a post highlighting it a few series after he was selected.

For a guy who knows the entire domestic system, it's quite bizarre how the new entries to the team come from his own domestic team.

Secondly, if the captain is advocating for the selection of a player who merits it, you do not get to nitpick about why the player shouldn't be on the team.

This happened with Haris Sohail during our middle order crisis, and it is happening now with Shoaib Malik during another middle order crisis.

Mohammad Wasim, for a guy who seems so professional, is quite delusional and it's time we as fans accept it.

He provides no justifications for dropping players, and then picks players out of nowhere. He speaks about this proclaimed "pool of players", but keeps taking so many of these players out and losing interest in them.

Look at all the squads he has selected and you too will see the lack of consistency in keeping the same core group of players around the team.

I said it then, and I will say it again, this guy is going to make selection policy a serious problem if he can't put his ego aside and listen to the captain of the team.

Both Wasim and Misbah are trying desperately to keep their jobs intact, and if they're not careful, their actions would seriously damage Pakistan Cricket.

A few players I can remember off the top of my head who were randomly selected and dropped are:

Amad Butt
Zafar Gohar (white-ball formats)
Salman Ali Agha
Kamran Ghulam
Danish Aziz
Aamir Yamin

Though he started coaching afterwards, Misbah's squad to New Zealand had a few faces who were dropped right afterwards:

Zeeshan Malik
Rohail Nazir
Wahab Riaz

It's a joke at this point, especially when deserving candidates are dropped for no reason.

 

[b.lesner]

1. Fakhar Zaman
2. Sharjeel Khan
3. Babar Azam (C)
4. Muhammad Rizwan (WK)
5. Muhammad Hafeez
6. Sohaib Maqsood
7. Imad Wasim
8. Muhammad Wasim jr.
9. Hassan Ali
10. Shadab Khan
11. Shaheen Shah Afridi
12. Usman Qadir
13. Hammad Azam
14. Arshad Iqbal
15. Bismillah Khan

Reserves with Squad
16. Zahid Mehmood
17. Muhammad Nawaz
18. Haider Ali
19. Haris Rauf/ Muhammad Hasnain / Shahnawaz Dahani

 

[shamaan]

The difference is his apparent contradiction and how he tries to cover it up with fancy powerpoints.

He has never been able to justify the selection of Haris Rauf in the test squad.

He only picked Rauf because he played for Northern, the team he used to coach before becoming the chief selector.

That type of favoritism is quite apparent elsewhere, and I made a post highlighting it a few series after he was selected.

For a guy who knows the entire domestic system, it's quite bizarre how the new entries to the team come from his own domestic team.

Secondly, if the captain is advocating for the selection of a player who merits it, you do not get to nitpick about why the player shouldn't be on the team.

This happened with Haris Sohail during our middle order crisis, and it is happening now with Shoaib Malik during another middle order crisis.

Mohammad Wasim, for a guy who seems so professional, is quite delusional and it's time we as fans accept it.

He provides no justifications for dropping players, and then picks players out of nowhere. He speaks about this proclaimed "pool of players", but keeps taking so many of these players out and losing interest in them.

Look at all the squads he has selected and you too will see the lack of consistency in keeping the same core group of players around the team.

I said it then, and I will say it again, this guy is going to make selection policy a serious problem if he can't put his ego aside and listen to the captain of the team.

Both Wasim and Misbah are trying desperately to keep their jobs intact, and if they're not careful, their actions would seriously damage Pakistan Cricket.

A few players I can remember off the top of my head who were randomly selected and dropped are:

Amad Butt
Zafar Gohar (white-ball formats)
Salman Ali Agha
Kamran Ghulam
Danish Aziz
Aamir Yamin

Though he started coaching afterwards, Misbah's squad to New Zealand had a few faces who were dropped right afterwards:

Zeeshan Malik
Rohail Nazir
Wahab Riaz

It's a joke at this point, especially when deserving candidates are dropped for no reason.

I agree Rauf selection was not needed.

Danish aziz got found wanting he looked clueless he shouldn't have been picked in the first place.Kamran ghullam shouldn't have been dropped although saud and usman salahuddin deserved thier chance before him.sometimes you need more batters other times you need more bowlers I am not defending him but your not going to make every decision right.

 

[Concerned]

….If only pakistan played the likes of Zimbabwe regularly giving a opportunity to try different combinations.

 

[Major]

Our bowling is an issue. We still do not have a spinner who could actually spin the ball.

Usman Qadir is playing because he is friends with the captain.

For Batting, we dont even have a middle or lower order. Though i would select both Hafeez and Malik but I also think Iftikhar should be in the lower order.

Waseem has made some really poor selections and hasnt been consisstent. Dropping Iftikhar made no sense. Selecting Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah and Haider Ali was a big joke.

We have two fast bowlers confirmed but still looking for more.

 

[UzmanBeast]

I agree Rauf selection was not needed.

Danish aziz got found wanting he looked clueless he shouldn't have been picked in the first place.Kamran ghullam shouldn't have been dropped although saud and usman salahuddin deserved thier chance before him.sometimes you need more batters other times you need more bowlers I am not defending him but your not going to make every decision right.

As things stand, he has made more wrong decisions than right ones.

I can have some leniency for him, but not too much because his job could define our team's success.

 

[shamaan]

As things stand, he has made more wrong decisions than right ones.

I can have some leniency for him, but not too much because his job could define our team's success.

Are you stating that the names you mentioned would have brought success?

 

[UzmanBeast]

Are you stating that the names you mentioned would have brought success?

To some extent, yes, they could have been more successful than the players who played in place of them.

 

[Shafi]

Actually it should be much easier. There is no expectation from timid/dummy captain and unprofessional/clueless/unskilled head coach. Bowling coach is non-existent so as fielding coach. We will participate to give opposition tough time and win hearts. Our team doesn't have any talent/skill to win big tournaments when every team will send main players. Both Misbah and Waqar are known to be chokers in big tournaments.

 

[Energy]

Actually it should be much easier. There is no expectation from timid/dummy captain and unprofessional/clueless/unskilled head coach. Bowling coach is non-existent so as fielding coach. We will participate to give opposition tough time and win hearts. Our team doesn't have any talent/skill to win big tournaments when every team will send main players. Both Misbah and Waqar are known to be chokers in big tournaments.

I like this. Nail firmly hit on the bread and butter of PCB payroll.