Rashid Latif: “If Pakistan had left out their five main players, would South Africa have still played with us? Then why are we playing with them?”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has questioned why the national team are even playing a T20 series against South Africa since most of their key players will be absent as they will be participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Proteas will be without Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, David Miller and Lungi Ngidi for the four-match T20 series.
Rabada and Nortje will be playing for the Delhi Capitals, while De Kock and Miller will represent the Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals respectively. As for Ngidi, he is a member of the Chennai Super Kings.
Latif noted that if Pakistan had left out five of their main players, “would South Africa have still played with us?”
“Their [CSA] calculation is good because ODI matches will count in the qualification for [the] 2023 World Cup,” Latif told PTV Sports as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
“However, Rabada, Miller, De Kock, Ngidi and Nortje will be gone for [the] IPL during [the] T20Is. If Pakistan had left out their five main players, would South Africa have still played with us? Then why are we playing with them?
“They should not play a weak team. When both boards decided this series, they would have decided on playing their full-strength sides. You are fooling the broadcasters by playing weakened sides.”
Pakistan will play three ODIs and four T20 Internationals against South Africa before heading to Zimbabwe for two Tests and three T20 Internationals.
Pakistan departed for South Africa on March 26 and the tour will commence on April 2 and conclude on April 16. The ODI series will be played first.
The men in green will then head to Zimbabwe on April 17 and play the three-match T20 series from April 21 to 25 in Harare.
Both Tests will take place at the same venue, with the first match starting on April 29 and the second Test getting underway on May 7.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that the national team will travel back to Lahore from Harare on May 12.
Pakistan’s Test Squad: Babar Azam (capt), Imran Butt, Abid Ali, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Tabish Khan, Hasan Ali, Shahnawaz Dhani, Nauman Ali, Zahid Mahmood, Sajid Khan.
Pakistan’s ODI Squad: Babar Azam (capt), Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Haider Ali, Danish Aziz, Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Qadir, Hasan Ali.
Pakistan’s T20 Squad: Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Haider Ali, Danish Aziz, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Qadir, Hasan Ali, Arshad Iqbal.