Aaqib Javed: “Now they keep including him in the team for no reason”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Aaqib Javed, the former fast bowler, believes Pakistan are including top order batsman Shan Masood “in the team for no reason”.
Masood has been regularly picked in Pakistan’s Test and ODI squads lately, while his last T20I came in November 2022.
He recently played in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, where he scored 97 runs, which included a top score of 51, at an average of 32.33.
With this in mind, Aaqib has no idea why the selectors continue to pick the Kuwait-born batsman.
“Now they keep including him in the team for no reason,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Interestingly, Masood was dropped for Pakistan’s upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, which will be played in Sri Lanka from August 22 to 26.
Pakistan Squad for Afghanistan ODI Series and 2023 Asia Cup:Â Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel (Afghanistan series only), Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr