Inzamam explains Pakistan’s World Cup squad picks

• Hasan Ali was selected for the Pakistan World Cup squad as a replacement for the injured Naseem Shah.
• Inzamam-ul-Haq backed Hasan’s experience and ability with the new ball as the key reasons behind his selection.
• Inzamam also defended his decision to retain Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz in the squad, despite their struggles in the Asia Cup.

Pakistan chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq has backed Hasan Ali’s experience and ability with the new ball as the key reasons behind his selection for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup squad.

Hasan was drafted in as a replacement for the injured Naseem Shah, who sustained a shoulder injury during the Asia Cup.

Inzamam said that Hasan’s performances in big tournaments and his ability to bowl well with the new ball made him the ideal choice to fill Naseem’s shoes.

“Talking about Hasan Ali, you look at his performances in the Lankan Premier League and at other places. He’s performed well and is an experienced bowler. He might not have featured in international cricket of late, but he has played mega events for Pakistan and he has performed for us,” Inzamam said.

“And we needed a new-ball bowler after it was clear that Naseem wouldn’t play the World Cup, so Hasan Ali is a brilliant choice for that. He does well with the new ball, and old ball and also has experience. He’s a team man as well, and brings energy into our side,” he added.

Inzamam also defended his decision to retain Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz in the squad, despite their struggles in the Asia Cup.

“With Shadab and Nawaz, we have tried to keep the continuity going. We haven’t tried to bring about many changes. In the World Cup squad, you bring in players you’ve prepared over a period of time. You make your (team) plans, about six months or a year before the event. That’s how you make a team.

“Shadab and Nawaz have played ODIs with us over the last two years. It is true that they didn’t perform well [in the Asia Cup]. Our troubles centre around the fact that we don’t pick wickets in the middle overs.

“It is true that Shadab and Nawaz haven’t performed as per their calibre, but we have full confidence in them. They’ve played with us for a long time, and have performed well. And this is a big event, and we hope that they’ll perform better. Otherwise, we have Usama Mir as an option as well,” he said.

Pakistan will play two warm-up fixtures before the event, against New Zealand and Australia respectively. They begin their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands at Hyderabad on 6 October.

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