'The Government Will Decide' - Pakistan on T20 World Cup participation despite squad announcement

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. This move comes despite earlier statements from PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi about possibly boycotting the tournament. The threat was linked to Bangladesh being replaced by Scotland after refusing to travel to India due to security concerns. With the squad now named, Pakistan appear ready to take part, but doubts still remain.

Even after the squad announcement, the issue is not fully settled. Following Bangladesh’s removal, Naqvi had said the final call would rest with the Pakistan government. All of Pakistan’s group-stage matches are scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka. This keeps the situation sensitive despite the team being picked.

The squad was revealed at a press conference held at the Gaddafi Stadium. PCB High Performance Director and selector Aaqib Javed, Agha, and white-ball head coach Michael James Hesson addressed the media. During the briefing, Javed made it clear that participation is still not guaranteed. He said the selectors’ role ends with naming the team.

“We’ve Announced the Team, Government Will Decide”

“We are selectors, and our job is to pick the team. We've announced the team very close to the deadline,” Aaqib Javed said. He added, “The government will decide on our participation so I can say nothing on that front.” Javed also stated that this was in line with what the PCB chairman had already said. For now, the board is waiting for a final decision.

Salman Ali Agha has been named captain for the tournament, which will be held from February 7 to March 8 in India and Sri Lanka. The squad shows no major surprises, as most players are also part of the upcoming home T20 series against Australia. Medium pacer Mohammad Wasim Jr is the only notable omission from the Australia series squad.

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Pakistan have selected two specialist spinners, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq, along with spin all-rounders Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan and Saim Ayub. Young batter Khawaja Mohammad Nafay also features despite having played only one T20I so far. Several players, including Agha, Faheem Ashraf and Usman Tariq, have earned their first major tournament call-up. Pakistan will begin their campaign against the Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo.

Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup:

Salman Ali Agha (c), Faheem Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Usman Tariq.