Sharjeel Khan and Mohammed Sami added to Pakistan squad

Left-handed batsman Sharjeel Khan and fast bowler Mohammed Sami have been drafted into the Pakistan squad for the Asia Cup and World T20 following injuries to Rumman Raees and Babar Azam. The selectors also brought in Khalid Latif for Iftikhar Ahmed with the latter suffering from a bad run of form.

Ruman Raees, who hasn’t been capped at the international level, was replaced following a Grade-1 hamstring injury. A statement released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) stated that Raees is ‘operating at 60% of his fitness currently’. Babar Azam misses out with a fractured forearm. Reports state that Azam sustained the injury during a practice session and is expected to miss out for 3-4 weeks.

Haroon Rashid, the chief selector of the PCB stated that the selection of Sharjeel, Sami and Latif were due to their impressive performances in the PSL. Sharjeel Khan has been in sizzling form in the ongoing tournament and has played a crucial role in propelling Islamabad United to the final. Sharjeel struck a 62-ball 117 in the very first match of the tournament against Peshawar Zalmi and currently sits on 3rd place in the top run scorers list with 287 runs.

Sharjeel’s teammate Mohammed Sami too has been in amazing form, picking up 11 wickets in the tournament. He ended up with figures of 5/8 against the Karachi Kings. Khalid Latif has been selected based on his power hitting and has been crucial for Islamabad United towards the end of the innings. He has scored 190 runs for Islamabad at a strike rate of 114.45.

Sharjeel has featured in the T20Is for Pakistan previously. He last played for his national side in 2013, around the same time Mohammed Sami made his comeback to the national side following a 5-year absence from international cricket. Khalid Latif last played an international match for Pakistan in June 2012. Latif however, will join the squad only for the World T20.

Asia Cup Squad: Shahid Afridi (C), Sarfaraz Ahmed (WK), Mohammed Hafeez, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammed Sami, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammed Irfan, Anwar Ali, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Mohammed Amir, Shoaib Malik

World T20 Squad: Shahid Afridi (C), Sarfaraz Ahmed (WK), Mohammed Hafeez, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammed Sami, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Nawaz, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammed Irfan, Anwar Ali, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Mohammed Amir, Shoaib Malik

An analysis of the Pakistan squad and their chances in the Asia Cup T20 – Asia Cup T20 2016 Preview: Pakistan