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'Gully cricket team me is tinpot team se jyada thakat he' - Fans react as Pakistan announce squads for 2023 Asia Cup and Afghanistan ODIs

The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced squads for the 2023 Asia Cup and three-match ODI series against Afghanistan.

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Daniel S
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Pakistan

Pakistan (Source: Twitter)

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday (August 9) announced the squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan and the 2023 Asia Cup. The newly appointed chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq has named an 18-member squad that includes veterans and emerging talents to ensure a well-balanced side. The squad that faces the Asian side from August 22 to August 26 will be later trimmed to 15 players for the continental event, which begins on August 30.

Shan Masood, who was appointed as the ODI vice-captain in January this year, is notable among those left out of the squad. Other than Masood, Haris Sohail and Ihsanullah are the only players missing from the side that took on New Zealand in May. Meanwhile, Faheem Ashraf has been recalled after a break of more than two years as Pakistan needed to fill the void of an all-rounder.

"Preference has been given to Faheem Ashraf, since the squad doesn't have another allrounder. If you look at PSL and other tournaments, he was in good form. And we need an allrounder, he is a fast-bowling allrounder, which we need at the World Cup," the chairman of selctors said at a press conference.

Commenting on Masood's omission, Inzamam said, "Shan has performed very well on the whole across formats. Unfortunately, his performances in ODIs have gone down. We have a list of 20-21 players, and Shan is part of that. But Saud Shakeel and a couple of other players were impressive recently, so we have to leave out Shan. But he is a part of our plans."

The Asia Cup, which Pakistan and Sri Lanka are hosting jointly, will be followed by the ODI World Cup, which begins on October 5 in India. The upcoming Afghanistan series and the continental tournament will be critical in preparing Pakistan for the mega event.

Pakistan ODI squad

Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel (only for Afghanistan ODIs), Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Haris, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim

Here's how fans reacted to Pakistan's squads for the Asia Cup and ODIs against Afghanistan:

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