Moin Khan: “I was hoping and expecting that he could come into the team as the second wicketkeeper-batsman. He should have been included [in the World Cup squad], considering there are so many matches”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Moin Khan admitted that he fails to understand why wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed wasn’t included in the team picked for the ongoing 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
He pointed out that Sarfaraz would have been the perfect back-up to first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan since he has been in good form and has plenty of experience too.
As a result of being overlooked for the World Cup, the 36-year-old recently captained Karachi Region Whites to victory in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which is Pakistan’s first-class competition.
Sarfaraz played an instrumental role in leading his side to the title as he was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 697 runs in seven matches, which included two centuries and four fifties, at an average of 99.57.
“I was hoping and expecting that he could come into the team as the second wicketkeeper-batsman. He should have been included [in the World Cup squad], considering there are so many matches,” Moin told Cricket Pakistan.
The Pakistan team began their World Cup campaign with wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before faltering against India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
They ended their four-game losing streak with a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in Kolkata, which kept their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.
Pakistan will be back in action on November 4 when they take on New Zealand in Bengaluru.
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
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