Pakistan Cricket Team 15-Man Squad For T20 World Cup 2022

Pakistan is in the unusual position of having performed well over the last year, without achieving all the results they would have wanted.

Last year’s T20 World Cup saw the side upset rivals India and make the semi-finals, before losing to Australia. This year’s Asia Cup also saw Pakistan punch above their weight and cause an upset, while falling at the last hurdle, this time to Sri Lanka in the final. Heading into the T20 World Cup 2022, Pakistan will be pleased with the majority of their players, but have discontent about coming up short of the silverware.

Pakistan has named a team to reflect this position with their announcement of a 15-man squad to travel to Australia for the T20 World Cup. The bulk of players have remained consistent from the recent Asia Cup, with only star pace bowler Shaheen Afridi returning from injury, and Test opener Shan Masood getting a call up. Shahnawaz Dahani and Fakhar Zaman are dropped to the travelling reserves as a result.

Here is our breakdown of the full Pakistan 2022 T20 World Cup squad, with each selection analysed on a position by position basis.

The 15-man squad for Pakistan to travel to Australia for the 2022 T20 World Cup

Babar Azam (captain), Haider Ali, Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Shaheen Afridi and Usman Qadir.

Batsmen – Masood Beats Malik, Zaman

One area Pakistan have needed to tinker with following the Asia Cup is their batting, with the side only making two 150+ scores from six games.

Five specialist batsmen have been named by Pakistan for the T20 World Cup in October, as follows:

71-match veteran Fakhar Zaman is the big casualty in Pakistan’s line up, with the T20I star failing to make the 15-man squad.

Zaman’s form has seen the left-hander stutter to 96 runs from seven T20Is this year, at an average of 13.71. With many expecting Shoaib Malik to earn a recall in Zaman’s place, it is Shan Masood who benefits, with the Test opener set to gain his T20I debut at the World Cup. Masood has 1378 runs in Test cricket with four centuries—whether this can be converted to the shorter form of the game, time will tell.

Outside of this change, Pakistan’s specialist batsmen remain constant from the Asia Cup. Babar Azam, Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah make up a steady top order, while Haider Ali likely provides support from the bench. Azam will be looking for a strong tournament, after having a quiet Asia Cup that saw the 27-year-old lose his No.1 T20 batting rank to teammate Mohammad Rizwan. With 2754 runs across 80 T20Is at an average of 42.37 and strike rate of 128.81, Azam is a generational talent that will be critical towards a successful World Cup for Pakistan.

Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah both bring moderate levels of experience to the batting line up, but will be seeking an improvement on their all-time records. Averages of 15.87 and 20.5 at strike rates of 136 and 110.31 aren’t the kind of figures that win tournaments, and both will want to emulate their domestic track records a little more at the international level. Haider Ali is in a similar boat, unable to secure a consistent starting position in the Pakistan playing 11 across his two year T20I career so far.

Overall stats for Pakistan Players in T20Is - Batsmen

T20I stats for Pakistan players in Australia - Batsmen

All Rounders – Bowling Depth Makes Pakistan a Threat

Pakistan’s all-rounders are bowling heavy, with three of the four all-rounders selected favouring the ball over bat.

Here are the four all-round options selected for Pakistan to compete at the 2022 T20 World Cup:

Only Iftikhar Ahmed is considered a batting all-rounder, and will appear for Pakistan in the top six. Across his 24 T20Is so far, Ahmed has accumulated a modest 376 runs at an average of 28.92 and strike rate of 122.88. However, at the first class level, Ahmed is a run-scoring machine with over 3000 T20 runs at a healthy strike rate. Add his ability to get through a quick over here and there, and Ahmed is a helpful contribution to the Pakistan line up.

Shadab Khan leads Pakistan’s bowling all-rounders, and is a world class player. At 23 years of age, he has already played a nice 69 T20Is, taking 81 wickets at a tight economy of 7.04 runs per over. The young star has top figures of 4/8, and can also swing a bat, averaging 18.28 at a strike rate of 135.95.

Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Wasim Jr. complete the all-round options for Pakistan. Nawaz has been a part of the Pakistani set up for six years now, taking 33 wickets and scoring 202 runs at the international level. He is often used as a part-time bowler, only being required for one over in the recent Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka.

Wasim Jr., on the other hand, is newer to the team, having debuted last year and played 11 T20Is since. His fast-medium bowling has extracted 17 wickets in that time however, and while his economy is high at 8.1, offers a genuine wicket taking option.

Overall stats for Pakistan Players in T20Is - All-Rounders

T20I stats for Pakistan players in Australia - All-Rounders

Wicketkeepers – No Need for Support Behind the Stumps

With the majority of nations taking two or three wicketkeeping options to Australia, Pakistan has elected to buck that trend.

Just the one player will keep wickets for Pakistan this T20 World Cup:

Recently moving past his captain to become the No.1 ranked T20 batsman in the world, Mohammad Rizwan needs no introduction—or, it seems, support behind the stumps. Pakistan is so confident that their star opener will play every match, that they have chosen to take only one option as wicketkeeper to the 2022 T20 World Cup.

Coming off an excellent Asia Cup, Rizwan was the tournament’s top run scorer. Across his six innings, Rizwan accrued 281 runs, pipping Virat Kohli for the top position. Three half-centuries achieved the majority of these runs, including one in the final off 49 balls. Overall, Rizwan has just shy of 1943 runs across his 62 T20Is, struck at a strike rate of 127.08 and an impressive average of 51.13.

Overall stats for Pakistan Players in T20Is - Wicket Keepers

T20I stats for Pakistan players in Australia - Wicket Keepers

Bowlers – Star Fast Bowler Returns

After the late announcement that Shaheen Afridi would not be able to compete in the Asia Cup due to a right knee ligament injury, Pakistan will be pleased to see their star fast bowler return this October.

Pakistan’s five specialist bowling options for the 2022 T20 World Cup are as follows:

Afridi’s star-power has been missed during his time away from the game. The pace bowler is a powerplay and death specialist, known for crushing yorkers and wicket taking ability. With 40 T20Is under his belt and 47 wickets at a respectable economy rate of 7.76 given his role, Afridi will spearhead the bowling line up of Pakistan, assuming he remains healthy.

Supporting Afridi at each end of the innings will likely be two of Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf. Of the three, 28-year-old Rauf has the most experience, actually having played one more T20I than Afridi since his debut in 2020. While slightly expensive at an economy of 8.39, Rauf takes wickets, striking 50 times in 41 matches. Hasnain brings a right-arm fast-medium option, with 22 games at this level so far generating 21 wickets for the 22-year-old.

Naseem Shah, on the other hand, is the newest of the bunch, having just debuted in the opening game of the Asia Cup against India. The teenage fast bowler took seven wickets across the tournament, only going at 7.67 runs per over. His figures of 2/7 were the bowling highlight, however it was his back-to-back sixes off the last over against Afghanistan that saw the 19-year-old shoot to stardom.

Rounding out the specialist bowling options for Pakistan is spinner Usman Qadir. The leggie will look to get some purchase from the Australian wickets, and emulate his career-best T20I figures of 4/13.

Overall stats for Pakistan Players in T20Is - Bowlers

T20I stats for Pakistan players in Australia - Bowlers

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