Pakistan’s long-awaited 15-member squad for the Twenty20 World Cup, announced on Sunday, has sparked debate, with former captain Rashid Latif raising serious concerns over its balance and selection logic.
Among the most notable talking points was the exclusion of fast bowler Haris Rauf, despite his strong performances in Australia’s Big Bash League. The decision suggests the pacer may have fallen out of favour with chief selector Aaqib Javed.
Pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi, meanwhile, is returning from an injury sustained during the Big Bash and had earlier missed the tri-series against Sri Lanka due to fitness issues. With Haris missing, Shaheen will shoulder added responsibility, particularly in the powerplay and death overs — an area where his recent returns have been underwhelming.
Salman Mirza has impressed with both the new and old ball, while Naseem Shah’s fitness and form were deemed sufficient for selection. However, several other pace options, including Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Ahmed Daniyal, were overlooked. Instead, selectors opted for fast-bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf.
Latif believes the squad’s composition is skewed by an overreliance on spin-bowling all-rounders. Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Saim Ayub and captain Salman Ali Agha all fall into that category, raising questions about role clarity and team balance. The inclusion of three wicket-keepers further compounds the issue.
None of the selected wicket-keepers were first-choice options for their Pakistan Super League franchises. Khawaja Nafay is part of Quetta Gladiators, but wicket-keeping duties there are handled by Sri Lankans Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal. Usman Khan largely played as a specialist batter for Multan Sultans, with Mohammad Rizwan the preferred keeper, while Sahibzada Farhan kept wickets in only one match for Islamabad United, where Andries Gous and Azam Khan were the primary choices.
Latif contrasted Pakistan’s approach with global trends, where wicket-keepers are often match-winners. Instead, he argued, Pakistan continues to treat wicket-keeping as an add-on skill for batters, a philosophy that could prove costly at the highest level.
Babar selection under scrutiny
Questions have also been raised over the inclusion of former captain Babar Azam, whose recent T20 form has been far from convincing. His Big Bash outing yielded just 131 runs in seven innings at a strike rate below 100.
There is also a noticeable overlap between Babar and current skipper Salman Ali Agha. Both operate in similar positions — numbers three and four — and play comparable roles. While the combination may work in low-scoring encounters, it could struggle in high-scoring matches where acceleration is crucial.
The batting line-up is top-heavy, featuring five players — Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Khawaja Nafay — who have primarily opened for their franchises. However, specialist middle-order batters such as Irfan Khan Niazi and Abdul Samad were overlooked.
Latif also questioned the emphasis placed on performances in the Big Bash while largely ignoring form in the Bangladesh Premier League. Sahibzada Farhan scored 185 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 118.58, while Saim managed just 68 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 117.24.
Fakhar Zaman’s stint in the International League T20 was similarly underwhelming, with 260 runs in 12 innings at an average of 21.66 and a strike rate of 124.40.
Spin-heavy strengths and selection dilemmas
Pakistan’s strongest department on paper appears to be spin, with specialist spinners Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq both regarded as world-class. However, with Nawaz, Shadab and Saim also in the mix as spin-bowling all-rounders, it is unlikely that both Abrar and Usman will feature together in the playing XI.
Conditions in Sri Lanka, where Pakistan will play all their matches in Colombo, could work in their favour. Their toughest group-stage challenge will come against defending champions India, with the United States, Namibia and the Netherlands the other opponents.
While Pakistan should progress from the group stage on paper, the bigger question remains whether the team management can settle on a balanced combination capable of sustaining a deep run in the tournament.