The chairman of the Cricket Technical Committee (CTC) of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and a former captain of Pakistan, Misbah-ul-Haq, spoke candidly about leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed’s selection to the travelling reserves rather than the 15-man squad for the ICC World Cup 2023.
Speaking at A Sports’ “The Pavilion” show, Misbah-ul-Haq addressed a question on whether “mystery spinner” Abrar Ahmed ought to be included in the final 15-man Pakistani team rather than the traveling reserves.
The former captain stated, “He [Abrar] should have been part of the final 15,” referencing the spinners’ “dismal performance” in the most recent Asia Cup 2023.
Misbah went on to say that he and another CTC member Muhammad Hafeez demanded that Abrar be included in the starting lineup.
But, he added, that was only his and Hafeez’s perspective, and skipper Babar Azam and the team management had to make the final call. In this context, he continued, “team management and the captain’s decision are more important.”
It is important to note that on Friday, October 20, during Pakistan’s World Cup 2023 match against Australia, Usama Mir took Shadab Khan’s spot as vice captain.
The leg-spinner has been struggling; in the first three games of their World Cup campaign, she only took two wickets.
Due to his lackluster performances during the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, Shadab Khan’s spot in the team has come under scrutiny. He was nevertheless supported by the team administration for the World Cup and kept his position as Babar Azam’s deputy.
Leg-spinner Usama Mir, who was playing in his debut tournament encounter, mishandled a simple-looking catch that David Warner would have taken in the sixth over of Friday’s match, which was delivered by Shaheen Shah Afridi.
