PCB announces team for T20 World Cup

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Tuesday announced the 15-member squad for Twenty20 World Cup scheduled to be held in September in Sri Lanka.

Addressing a news conference, PCB chief selector Iqbal Qasim announced the names of the players who will play three-match T20 series against Australia followed by T20 World Cup, reports Xinhua.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal, who last played for Pakistan in the 2011 ODI World Cup in India, was recalled in the squad.

Explosive opener Imran Nazir, who last featured two years ago, and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq made a comeback for both competitions.

"Each player in the side has a role and has been selected accordingly. These three are utility players and can make a difference," Qasim told media persons in Lahore.

Mohammad Hafeez, who was named T20 captain before Sri Lanka tour, was retained as skipper till December.
Asad Shafiq was also selected following his solid Test series in Sri Lanka, during which he played a couple of responsible innings for the team.

Left-hand opener Nasir Jamshed, after recovering from a finger fracture, also succeeded taking a place in the squad.

PCB dropped five players, Khalid Latif, Ahmed Shahzad, Hammad Azam, Haris Sohail and wicketkeeper Shakeel Ansar, who visited Sri Lanka but could not perform well or failed to get a chance.

The 30-member squad includes:
 Muhammad Hafeez (captain), Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Khalid Latif, Nasir Jamshed, Shoaib Malik, Umer Akmal, Asad Shafique, Muhamamd Sami, Sohail Tanveer, Yasir Arafat, Hamad Azam, Aizaz Cheema, Umer Gul, Raza Hasan, Wahab Riaz, Anwar Ali, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Haris Sohail, Imran Nazir, Ahmed Shehzad, Shakeel Ansar,  Shahzeb Hasan, Kamran Akmal, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Owais Zia, Sharjeel Khan, Ramiz Raja and Junaid Khan.