Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan squad for match against Sri Lanka [ANNOUNCED]

Pakistan have announced their squad for the match against Sri Lanka on 14 September 2023. There are some changes in the playing 11 this time. Take a look!

PLAYER	ROLE
Mohammad Haris	Opener
Imam-u-haq	Opener
Babar Azam	Batsman
Mohammad Rizwan	Wicketkeeper Batsman
Saud Shakeel	Batsman
Iftikhar Ahmad	Batsman
Shadab Khan	Allrounder
Mohammad Nawaz	Allrounder
Shaheen Afridi	Left-arm fast bowler
Mohammad Wasim Jnr	Right-arm fast bowler
Zaman Khan	Right-arm fast bowler

Read: Asia Cup 2023 Points Table

This squad will be going up against the Lankans in a must-win game. We all know how important this game is for Pakistan. Luckily, if the rain doesn’t ruin the show and hopes for Pakistan’s Asia Cup campaign, this team has to win to qualify for the finals.

There are some changes in the squad, and we will discuss them here.

Changes in the squad

Fakhar Zaman has been dropped, and Haris has filled his spot as the explosive opener we want in the power play. Pakistan was struggling in the batting lineup.

Fakhar didn’t have much to show so far. It was logical to drop him right now. Sunil Gavaskar also mentioned that only Babar has been performing, which is alarming for Pakistan. Hence, they must test the waters before entering the World Cup.

READ HERE: Sunil Gavaskar bashes Pakistan’s batsmen

Unfortunately, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Agha Salman got injured in the match against India. The pacers got injured during their bowling spell. At the same time, Agha was unlucky to get hit by the ball on his nose.

Zaman Khan and Wasim Jnr will replace Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah. Zaman won Lahore Qalandars PSL two times by defending the runs in the last over. HE DID IT TWO TIMES IN A ROW. While Wasim Jnr was the star of the Emerging Asia Cup.

Saud Shakeel performed well against Sri Lanka in the test series. He is the obvious choice in the absence of Agha Salman.

Faheem Ashraf has been dropped, and Mohammad Nawaz makes an entry again as the pitch favors the spinners.

Parting thoughts

This is going to be hard for Pakistan. This is first time in the tournament that they are going with an almost new squad this time. They changed half of their usual playing 11. Will they be able to win it and qualify for the finals? Or will Sri Lanka clench this game from the jaws of the Green Shirts?

Or will the rain ruin the play AGAIN?

Stay tuned to know more.