Inzamam-ul-Haq: “Preference has been given to Faheem Ashraf since the squad doesn’t have another fast-bowling all-rounder”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan chief selector, said Faheem Ashraf had been given preference when it came to selection since the national team needed a fast-bowling all-rounder.
Faheem was picked for the Asia Cup, but failed to have much of an impact in the two games he played, which were against Bangladesh and India.
The 29-year-old from Kasur only managed to score four runs in both matches and finished with one wicket to his name.
Despite this, Inzamam defended Faheem’s selection, noting that he had been in “good form” in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and in other tournaments he had featured in.
“Preference has been given to Faheem Ashraf since the squad doesn’t have another fast-bowling all-rounder,” Inzamam was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan. “If you look at PSL and other tournaments, he was in good form. And we need an all-rounder, he is a fast-bowling all-rounder.”
Prior to the Asia Cup, Pakistan beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in a Test series and Afghanistan 3-0 in an ODI series.
Currently, the men in green are playing in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India, but Faheem isn’t part of the team.
Instead, he is representing Faisalabad in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which is Pakistan’s first-class competition.
Pakistan began their World Cup campaign with an 81-run win over the Netherlands and will now face Sri Lanka on October 10 in Hyderabad.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali