Right-arm fast bowler Hasan Ali has not been included in Pakistan’s 16-man squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka due to a back injury.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement, ‘Hasan Ali is out of the team due to a back injury. He will now undergo rehabilitation at the National Cricket Stadium (NCA) in Lahore.
At the same time, Abid Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Shinwari and Mohammad Hasnain have been included in the team.
The new coach and chief selector of the Pakistan cricket team, Misbah-ul-Haq, said, “After discussing with the members of the selection committee, I think we have picked the best possible team.”
The batsman Iftikhar played his last ODI in November 2015. Misbah has also excluded veteran Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik from the team.
Veteran Shoaib Malik has retired from One Day International cricket while team-mate Mohammad Hafeez has been given permission to play the Caribbean Premier League 2019.
“No doubt his performance has slipped downwards, but still his average is around 47 in ODIs, he’s an impact player, He is such a player that if he plays 10 overs, you have a chance to win the match. Instead of wasting him, we should see how we can utilise him in the future.” Chief selector and Head Coach Misbah-Ul-Haq added about Fakhar Zaman.
Sri Lanka has already announced two squads for the three one-day internationals and the three T20 matches. Ten senior players opted out of the tour citing security concerns.
On the tour of Pakistan, Sri Lanka will also play the T20 series after the ODI series and for this the team will be announced during the ODI series.
PAKISTAN ODI TEAM: Sarfaraz Ahmed (captain), Babar Azam (vice-captain), Abid Ali, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Aamir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Osman Shinwari and Wahab Riaz.