Hasan Ali, a fast bowler, has been added to Pakistan’s
ODI World Cup roster in place of the injured Naseem Shah, who would require a
significant amount of recovery time.
Usama Mir, who made his ODI debut earlier this year
against New Zealand but was not selected for the Asia Cup team, has been
included as a second legspinner for Pakistan. The remaining members of
Pakistan’s speed assault are Mohammad Haris, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf,
and Mohammad Wasim Jr. Mohammad Nawaz, an all-around spin bowler, holds his
spot in the lineup as Faheem Ashraf is left out.
Hasan last appeared in an ODI in June 2022, while he
last represented Pakistan in the second Test match in Karachi in January of
this year against New Zealand.
The PCB postponed the release of Pakistan’s World Cup
roster by a few days while they evaluated their disappointing performance at
the Asia Cup, where they came last in their Super Four group after losses to
India and Sri Lanka. The board also awaited a second opinion on Naseem’s injury
prognosis, but there hasn’t been any good news on that front.
Following a meeting with the captain Babar Azam,
vice-captain Shadab, technical committee members Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad
Hafeez, head coach Grant Bradburn, and bowling coach Morne Morkel, the PCB
announced on Thursday that chairman Zaka Ashraf had met with the group. While
the specifics of any negotiations were not made clear, it appears that there
were extensive discussions regarding the World Cup team’s composition during
the strong rumours around the time and format of Pakistan’s squad announcement.
On the eve of the team release, Hafeez resigned from the technical committee,
adding another layer of mystery.
Pakistan begin their World Cup campaign with a warm-up
match behind closed doors against New Zealand on September 29, followed by
another against Australia on October 3. Their first game of the tournament is
against Netherlands on October 6 in Hyderabad.