Pakistan figure out 12-man squad for the 1st T20I against World XI

According to close sources, it has been learnt that Pakistan have finalised the names of 12 players for the 1st T20I against World XI, starting tonight at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. All-rounder Aamer Yamin, batsman Umar Amin and spinner Mohammad Nawaz will warm the bench, as they are likely to be left out of the playing XI.

Fast bowler Mohammad Amir will not feature in the series, as he and his wife became proud parents to a baby girl, in London. It is also believed that one of the two will play in the first game- Usman Khan Shinwari and Sohail Khan, depending on the pitch conditions.

For Pakistan, only five players have played on their home soil in an international match in the past- Ahmed Shehzad, Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Sohail Khan. The Pakistan side had a good run coming into this series, as they won the Champions Trophy earlier this year.

Captain Sarfaraz aware of the expectations

Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is wary of the visitors and said that they will have to earn the victory. With Pakistan hosting a series after ages, clearly, the expectations will be high on the home team, and the skipper understands it completely. He also brought focus to their T20I rankings, and said that they will have to maintain the good position, going into the series.

“I think the burden of responsibility has been increased because we are playing at home but we take every series seriously,” Sarfraz said ahead of the first T20. “This might be a series for a great cause to revive cricket but we have to watch out for our T20 ranking as well. Our ranking is quite high (No. 3) and we want to maintain it so the series is equally important. We will try to win every game one-sidedly. But obviously, they are a strong team on paper and we will have to fight to win.”

Here’s 12-man squad: Sarfraz Ahmad (C/WK), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shehzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Rumman Raees, Usman Khan Shinwari and Sohail Khan.