Pakistan drop Hasan Ali for for Asia Cup, Netherlands ODIs
Pakistan have dropped fast bowler Hasan Ali for the impending Asia Cup and the ODI series in the Netherlands. The senior pacer fell out of favor with the selectors after faring poorly across formats. Youngster Naseem Shah has replaced Hasan in both squads. Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi, who missed the second Test in Sri Lanka due to a knee injury, returns to the squads.
Pakistan's squad for Asia Cup: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir.
Pakistan's quad for Netherlands ODIs: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Imam ul haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahid Mehmood.
As per Pakistan's chief selector Mohammad Wasim, Hasan has been "given a break from international cricket and replaced by Naseem Shah". Hasan hasn't been at his best since the conclusion of the 2021 T20 World Cup. He finished the tournament with five wickets at 41.40 and an economy rate of 9.00. Hasan has taken just 19 wickets from 11 internationals at 35.89 ever since.
Naseem Shah, who has the propensity to bowl over 150 KPH, has replaced Hasan in the squads. The right-arm seamer has represented Pakistan in only Test cricket as of now. He earned his call-up to white-ball sides on the basis of his performance in the two Tests in Sri Lanka last month. Notably, Naseem also has a five-wicket haul in T20 cricket.
Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Haris, Salman Ali Agha, and Zahid Mehmood have been included in the ODI set-up. Meanwhile, the likes of Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Usman Qadir would replace the aforementioned players in the Asia Cup squad. Star batter Babar Azam would lead both squads, while all-rounder Shadab Khan continues to be his deputy.
Rotterdam will host all three ODIs between Netherlands and Pakistan on August 16, 18 and 21, respectively. As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, the selected Pakistani players will assemble in Lahore on August 6 for a six-day training camp. Meanwhile, the Asia Cup-bound T20I players will reach Dubai on August 22. They will join the other members of the squad present there.
