Pakistan To Announce Men's ODI World Cup Squad On Friday Following Review Of Asia Cup Performance

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Pakistan will be announcing its 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup squad on Friday morning following a review meeting of its recent Asia Cup performance, said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday.

Pakistan entered Asia Cup with the tag of being top-ranked ODI side boasting of an exciting fast-bowling line-up coupled with in-form batters. But by the time it failed to reach the final after losing to Sri Lanka, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf were out due to injuries, with concerns over the form of Fakhar Zaman, middle-order batting make-up and middle-overs bowling being helmed by spinners.

The PCB said Management Committee Zaka Ashraf met with the coaching staff headed by Mickey Arthur, captain Babar Azam, vice-captain Shadab Khan, and former captains Misbah ul Haq and Mohammad Hafeez to review the side’s performance in the Asia Cup 2023 on Wednesday evening.

Chief selector, Inzamam ul Haq couldn’t make it to the meeting due to a medical emergency but met Ashraf on Thursday afternoon to share his input. After the completion of the review, Inzamam has finalised the Pakistan squad for the mega event to be announced on Friday morning in a press conference to be held at Gaddafi Stadium.

"I am glad we had a good positive review session and are on the same page. We are confident that the experience gained in the Asia Cup was a learning curve and will help prepare for the ICC Men's World Cup.

"Our team is filled with talent, and we believe they have the capability to compete and win at the highest level. We have world-class batters and bowlers and are committed to providing them with the necessary support and resources to ensure they are well-equipped ahead of the mega event,” said Ashraf in a statement.

PCB added head coach Grant Bradburn, batting coach Andrew Puttick, and bowling coach Morne Morkel were also invited in the meeting to report on the team’s recent performance. The review meeting was also attended by Dr Sohail Saleem to brief about players’ injuries and the way forward for players' rehabilitation programs.

It further said that a robust analysis, every aspect of recent team performance, player fitness, and future plans came into discussion with a view to bringing improvement to the side. There was an agreement on making a better approach and strategy on players’ workload and the importance of strengthening the bench also emphasised upon.

"The philosophy behind this review was to create an atmosphere of open discussion and develop consensus. The idea is to have everyone on board and debate about performances, identifying the problems and their solutions. We have to debate strengths and weaknesses so that we are clear about what and where we need to invest for the betterment of our team.

"Discussion revealed that the previous management had allowed a lot of players to play league cricket which caused them to fatigued ahead of their national duty. But going forward we have agreed to form a proactive approach to tackle players workload and give national duty a priority," concluded Ashraf.