In their first warm-up match of the ICC World Cup 2023 held in Hyderabad, India, Pakistan faced a defeat against New Zealand, losing by five wickets. Despite setting a score of 345 runs while batting first, it wasn’t enough to secure a victory as the Black Caps successfully chased down the target in just 43.4 overs.
The performance of the Pakistani bowlers fell short of expectations, prompting questions about the overall performance of the team led by Babar Azam, particularly their inability to defend the target.
Surprisingly, two key players for Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan, didn’t bowl a single over. Sources suggest that this decision was part of the team management’s strategy. The plan was to provide more match practice to bowlers who haven’t had much recent experience.
The management aims to test all 15 members of the squad in these warm-up matches, allowing them to acclimate to the conditions and make any necessary adjustments.
Next up, the Green Shirts will face Australia on October 3 in their second warm-up match before kicking off their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on October 6.
Here’s Pakistan’s squad for the ICC World Cup 2023:
- Babar Azam (c)
- Abdullah Shafique
- Fakhar Zaman
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
- Shadab Khan
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Usama Mir
- Haris Rauf
- M Wasim Jnr
- Hasan Ali
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Saud Shakeel
- Salman Ali Agha
Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan.
Pakistan’s schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023:
- October 6 — vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
- October 10 — vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
- October 14 — vs India in Ahmedabad
- October 20 — vs Australia in Bengaluru
- October 23 — vs Afghanistan in Chennai
- October 27 — vs South Africa in Chennai
- October 31 — vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
- November 4 — vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
- November 11 — vs England in Kolkata
The day matches will start at 10:00 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST), while all other matches will be day-night fixtures beginning at 01:30 pm (PST).
If Pakistan qualifies for the semi-finals, they will play in Kolkata. Similarly, if India qualifies for the semi-finals, they will play in Mumbai, except if facing Pakistan, in which case they will play in Kolkata.
