Full circle: Ahmed Shehzad returns to Pakistan’s World T20 squad

Dawn Sport Published March 7, 2016

In a dramatic turn of events opener Ahmed Shehzad returned to the Pakistan squad for the upcoming World T20 on Monday after being dropped for inconsistency less than a month ago.

Khurram Manzoor replaced Shehzad when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the squads for the recently concluded Asia Cup and World T20 on February 10.

“The inclusion of Khurram backfired and as a chief selector I take full responsibility,” Haroon Rasheed told ESPNcricinfo after tweaking the World T20 squad for the third time.

“Call it an error of judgement or whatever, but we all have seen him scoring runs in domestic cricket and we gave him a chance. He didn't grab it, it's up to the player to justify his selection and in his case he didn't. We gambled on (Shoaib) Malik last year and it paid off,” he added.

Shehzad, after being dropped from the national squad, impressed in the inaugural season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), becoming the fourth highest scorer with 290 runs in 10 matches.

The right-hander was ignored again when Sharjeel Khan and Mohammad Sami were included in the Pakistan roster on February 22 after injuries forced Rumman Raees and Babar Azam to face an axe. This was the second occasion the selectors shuffled the squad.

Manzoor, in contrast to Shehzad’s PSL performances, failed miserably during Pakistan’s disastrous Asia Cup campaign, strengthening the case for the latter’s comeback.

“Now when we look around for who is going to replace Khurram, we don't really have a serious contender, but Ahmed at least has some experience under his belt. He did show some form in PSL too, otherwise we haven't seen any other [impressive] opening batsman,” said Rasheed.

The Karachi-born opener scored 11 runs in the three matches he played in the continental competition.

Khalid Latif also joined the national side for the World T20 in place of Iftikhar Ahmed.

Pakistan kick-off their World T20 campaign on March 16 at Kolkata before the travel to Dharamsala for they high-voltage encounter against arch-rivals India for their second Super 10 fixture.

Pakistan Squad:

Shahid Afridi (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Khalid Latif, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Irfan.

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shahid afidi

Mar 07, 2016 03:44pm

here comes my friend..AHMAD SHEHZAD

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natey

Mar 07, 2016 03:45pm

so they already decided to go to india..

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shahid afidi

Mar 07, 2016 03:46pm

The Karachi-born opener scored 11 runs in the three matches he played in the continental competition. and is selected

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Ali jee

Mar 07, 2016 03:47pm

Bye the time World Cup start Pakistan might have 11 different players again...Pakistan cricket is just lost Pakistan management lost brains which I don't think they did have at first time

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Nikesh

Mar 07, 2016 03:47pm

@natey nice inference!!!

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Critical

Mar 07, 2016 03:48pm

failure replaced by another failure!!!

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Jumz

Mar 07, 2016 03:52pm

Shahid Afridi (capt.), Ahmed Shehzad, Sharjeel Khan, Umer Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan And all of a sudden we have a formidable world beating XI...

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Mar 07, 2016 03:52pm

Good decision, we need to leave him alone and let him play his natural game. Also, he needs to be given a permanent opening partner. All the time, we keep changing the opening pair which results in lack of coordination. Batting pairs develop in time, they are not produced overnight. Leave a permanent opener that compliments his style with him and then see the benefits. Apply some logic for heavens sake..

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shahed khan bd

Mar 07, 2016 03:52pm

time short so please replace Khalid Latif,Anwar Ali and including zulfiqar babar,sohail tanvir. Especial spiner must need in t20 and both player are t20 especialist.

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sandeep

Mar 07, 2016 03:53pm

i would have liked to see nasir jamshed in t20 world cup squad

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Ghalib Ghalib

Mar 07, 2016 03:54pm

There is nobody better than Ahmed Shehzad in the whole of Pakistan???

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umar

Mar 07, 2016 03:55pm

all this drama of dropping him for asia cup was to get him back in the team. This thing can only happen in Pakistan, no consideration to individuals performance, which in case of Ahmed Shehzad has been miserable, to say the least. There is a lot of talent in the country, but our selectors dont want to leave their air conditioned offices to go out and evidence the talent in person. Such a sorry state

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BasicSensibility

Mar 07, 2016 03:56pm

This was the whole point of inducting Khurram Manzoor, a player who would not perform, and Ahmed Shahzad will be inducted back for another long term despite his continuous bad performance and bad batting technique.

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Krezy

Mar 07, 2016 03:57pm

Its PCB old ritual in experimenting right at the time when consistency in selection is most required to develop combinations...

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fair

Mar 07, 2016 03:57pm

@natey As they have NOT yet called off the tour, so they should be prepared in every sense. What do you expect them to do.......keep sleeping coz the matter is undecided.

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Imran

Mar 07, 2016 04:01pm

for what reasons, Mr. Selector, you still keep Mr. Anwar Ali in the squad?

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abid

Mar 07, 2016 04:05pm

Selfie boy would not add anything to Pakistan cricket and opening woe would continue, I am afraid.

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Kashaf

Mar 07, 2016 04:11pm

Afridi should not be part of this. We are done with him. He does not deserve more chances. Find another captain. Could be Shoaib Malik. Inclusion of Hafeez is another question mark. They score in one random less important game and disappoint in most of the important games.

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Sarai Alamgir

Mar 07, 2016 04:18pm

Not a fan of Shehzad, but he is better then Khurram.

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stranger

Mar 07, 2016 04:19pm

Does not matter. We are sure to lose a wicket or two before we reach the score of 10. It does not make any difference if it was Khurram Manzoor or Ahmed Shehzad to open and therefore get out early.

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Imran

Mar 07, 2016 04:20pm

does Mr. Selector even know about pak u19 player, hasan mohsin who performed brilliantly in u19 world cup? 6 matches 293 runs and 11 wickets - Also any updates about babar azam, a technically correct batsman or haris shoail, again a sound batsman?

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Mujtaba

Mar 07, 2016 04:22pm

There are so many good experienced cricketers Pakistan has produced like Imran Nazir , Abdul Razzaq , Fawad Alam etc sadly they r being ignored by the selectors because of relations

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SAM

Mar 07, 2016 04:25pm

Ahmad Shahzad is natural talent, who was destroyed by Misbah's negative approach. He should be let to play his natural game. Mohammad Sami/ Mohammad Nawaz/ Anwar Ali don't deserve place in the team. I hope Selectors will prove me wrong. If they prove me wrong I will be the happiest person. I have one suggestion for Afridi, that as we know Indian pitches will be batsman friendly, he should try himself as opener to take full advantage of 6 overs. My Batting line will be: 1 Sarjeel 2 Afridi 3 Shahzad 4 Umer Akmal 5 Hafiz 6 Shaoib 7 Sarfaraz 8 I Wasim 9 Wahab Riyaz 10 Amir 11 Ifran All the best for world cup.

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Mujtaba

Mar 07, 2016 04:26pm

Indian former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said "Pakistan are known for picking unknown players from the nets but that has generally been the case with bowlers and just about every such selection has proved successful but as far as batting is concerned it is important to have a bit of experience and not just raw talent"

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Capt C M Khan

Mar 07, 2016 04:29pm

Except for Bowling Best of Pakistan is worse than the Club teams of the Big three and Newzealand. Failure of our cricket infrastructure. Sad.

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aryan

Mar 07, 2016 04:30pm

Where is Rahat Ali..any clue?

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Azmat Shah

Mar 07, 2016 04:30pm

@shahid afidi they are talking about Khurram Manzoor here

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S Hassan Naqvi

Mar 07, 2016 04:37pm

Bad precedence. Now already Shahzad would think that he is indispensable.

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Taayer wani

Mar 07, 2016 04:39pm

Where is fawad alam?

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LONE

Mar 07, 2016 04:47pm

it is called replacing one failure with another, why dont you replace sharjeel what wonders did he showed on asia cup? he got zero technique and is going to of no use in t20 cup .. why not include babar/salman bhat at his place ?? Also we need good spinners in t2o cup and unfortunately all our best are bannned.. why do we need sami now, why not replace him with junaid khan/gull dozer?? Not sure whats in the mind of selectors, i thought they think something wise post asia cup defete but still same approach.. Pak team was on top once but now they are below the ground level now.. shame!!!

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javeed

Mar 07, 2016 04:52pm

They should never have dropped Ahmad. In current senario the misrable state of pak cricket is that Shezad iz the best they have to offer!

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Selfie

Mar 07, 2016 04:53pm

I think the whole of the Pakistan team needs to be dissolved, they are not good enough to play world class teams! Get rid of Hafeez to start with!

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Babu India

Mar 07, 2016 04:53pm

Team which is picked for t20 is worse but Pakistan selectors cannot do much more at this time as much damage is done. Pakistan bowling is much good at the moment but the batting department is much worse than other Asian teams. Pakistan can fight back strongly if they asked Afridi to open the innings as it is shortest format and pressure would be built on opposition. Team: 1. Sharjeel & 2. Afridi 3. Shehzad 4. Sarfaraz 5. Hafeez 6. Malik 7. Imad wasim 8. rizwan / Sami 9. Wahab 10. Amir 11. irfan. Am from India and am an fan of Afridi batting who is capable of taking the game from opponents(Batting). correct me if am wrong, even Pakistanis love his batting rather than his bowling. Anyway A ll the best and forgive me if there is any mistake commented from my side

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javeed

Mar 07, 2016 04:57pm

If only someone puts a thinking brain in Umer Akmal we may have a consistant batsman in the team! Pak will have a chance in WT20 only if Malik, Sarfraz, Akmal & Hafeez are able to make runs consistantly. Bowling is no doubt world class...

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Rohit Singh

Mar 07, 2016 04:59pm

this is highly unprofessional...have faith in your players who were selected before.

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najeeb

Mar 07, 2016 05:05pm

Ahmed Shezard! this is probably the last chance you are getting. Avail it by playing your natural aggressive game which you used to play in under 19 era. Trust me, if you will play aggressively and don't score, nation will support you but if you play defensive, then you are history. Best of luck

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Ali Dublin

Mar 07, 2016 05:05pm

All this drama to justify his place in the team. They brought Khurram manzoor from nowhere. Why drop Babar Azam? Chief selecter is a joke. He should resign. It wasn't a mistake but a blunder. Destroying someone's career to help another one. You are pathetic and have no brain. Sarfraz was doing well as an opener last year and all of a sudden, he is pushed back to no 7. It's not fair. It's all to help Shahzad.

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Ali Dublin

Mar 07, 2016 05:08pm

@SAM Sarfraz should open with Ahmad Shahzad.

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VivekXI

Mar 07, 2016 05:08pm

..and people ask why Pakistan Cricket is not going beyond square 1. and think, what Ahmed Shahjad must be thinking - Mere jaisa opener mulk me hai hee nahi ...

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Mark

Mar 07, 2016 05:13pm

Where is Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan, and Imran Khan (Fast Bowler)

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SAM

Mar 07, 2016 05:14pm

@Ali Dublin : Yes u r right Sarfaraz is good to bat at any number. My intention of Afridi opening was just to send positive signal & if it clicks every know the results then.

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Farooq

Mar 07, 2016 05:15pm

he performed well in the PSL his confidence was very different when he was batting with KP, Luke Wright and Sarfraz. I don't think Hafeez or Umar Akmal go and talk sense to him every break

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Ali Dublin

Mar 07, 2016 05:19pm

@Babu India Thank god you are not our captain. Afridi should pad up from the start. His place is first 15 overs or last 10 overs. I think Sarfraz should open with Shahzad. Hafeez , Akmal, Malik, Latif, Afridi, Imad, Wahab/Anwar,Irfan, Amir. You have batting all the way down. Drop Sharjeel and Sami. Waste of space. 3 spinners and three quick. 4 specialist batsman, wicketkeeper batsman, 4 all rounders. 2 specialist bowlers. All experienced

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Tanweer Khan

Mar 07, 2016 05:19pm

“The inclusion of Khurram backfired and as a chief selector I take full responsibility,” Haroon Rasheed told ESPNcricinfo..." “Call it an error of judgement or whatever...." I call it sheer STUPIDITY. How does a person that wasn't selected for the PSL suddenly get drafted into opening the batting for Pakistan in T20 internationals. The inclusion of Khurram Manzoor in the Asia Cup squad smacks full of corruption. Haroon Rasheed should do the honourable thing and resign.

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IRSHAD

Mar 07, 2016 05:23pm

So what are we, the people, supposed to do about it? Are we supposed to wax eloquent on you for "accepting responsibility" when it is not backed by any tangible measure, such as your resignation, Mr. Haroon Rasheed? That is the least any self-respecting person would do in the face of the fiasco that the cricket team is undergoing. Your inept and whimsical selections have pushed the team on the edge of the precipice. Even my twelve year old son was horrified when he learnt of Khurram Manzoor's selection and you are committing the same mistake again by selecting Khalid Latif, whose batting average in T20Is is less than 5 runs after several outings. We, the people, also demand to know why Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam were not considered and where is Haris Sohail??

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Kam

Mar 07, 2016 05:24pm

Lack of opening batsmen? How about Fakhar Zaman or Sami Aslam? There is plenty of talent in the country if Mr Rashid would be so kind to open his eyes.

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Who cares!

Mar 07, 2016 05:26pm

Let's play musical chair game :-)

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Rehan

Mar 07, 2016 05:40pm

only cosmetic approach applied. no long term solution in sight !! even a deaf, dumb and blind knows that Pakistan's problem lies in batting, yet our so called big bosses at pcb are unable to attach a batting coach with the team ... why there is no accountability of the pcb who take handsome perks and delivers nothing ... our worthy coach waqar was not present at PSL T20 isn't it a point of concern. There is a code of conduct for players speaking to media why LALA was not reprimanded for his below the belt comments in the press ..... yet another disastrous performance awaits Pakistan in T20 world cup

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Sarah

Mar 07, 2016 05:40pm

Right decision by PCB..

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Iftikhar Khan

Mar 07, 2016 05:41pm

Under the circumstances and on merit alone, Misbah should be requested to play WC-T20 just as a batsman. He is fit, in form and very well tuned. Have Omar Akmal, shoaib malik, Hafeez and Afridi bat up the order and Misbah in the middle order.

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Tariq Hafeez

Mar 07, 2016 05:47pm

Where is Babar Azam? He was the best batsman during the NZ tour.

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Rahul

Mar 07, 2016 05:56pm

@najeeb - *"Ahmed Shezard! this is probably the last chance you are getting."* no it's not.

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Com

Mar 07, 2016 05:58pm

I m sure he won't cross 100runs in whole tournament

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Zak

Mar 07, 2016 06:07pm

It is the team every Pakistani wants.

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talha

Mar 07, 2016 06:12pm

why have Muhammad sami been included? did anyone miss his miserable performance against Bangladesh? basically it was him who lost us the match by first bad fielding n giving away a boundry nthen bowling two no balls in a crucial over.

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Mar 07, 2016 06:13pm

@Zak We Indians also like the current Pakistani team.

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The Outsider

Mar 07, 2016 06:16pm

What do you expect? The guy didn't even play in PSL and then you jettison his into Asia cup, he was bound to fail. He was under tremendous pressure to perform. This just shows how poorly managed PCB is. They wait 2 weeks before WC to try new things and experiments when they had years. Also why wasn't Mukhtar Ahmed not given a fair chance? He didn't face a single ball in PSL, so no experience for him either yet he'll probably be selected under pressure too. So this is PCBs fault they set players up for failure. Poor management

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sami

Mar 07, 2016 06:26pm

PCB get out of mind first they select Ifthikar with no performance and then he was dropped him with no action ? Y khalid was not selected for Asia cup? PCB please explain the selection criteria?

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Alam

Mar 07, 2016 06:38pm

It was planned when Shahzad was dropped. Intentionally a player, Khurram Manzoor, was selected which was destined to fail to justify the recall of Shahzad. If Shahzad did not perform then again Khurram will be selected. There is no other player who can replace Shahzad or Khurram. Afridi, Waqar and Shaharyar are destroying Pakistan's cricket.

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Where are we?

Mar 07, 2016 06:51pm

The selectors knew Khurram Manzoor will not perform in Asia Cup and based on Khurram's performance they will be able to bring back Ahmad Shehzad. Ahmed Shehzad's performance was no better than Khurram in 95% of the matches he played in the World Cup and later. Instead of picking someopne else for Shehzad's replacement they very smartly picked up Khurram with only one intention that to bring back Shehzad.

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daada abba

Mar 07, 2016 06:57pm

and yet another horrible mistake! "error in judgement or whatever"

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Canadian

Mar 07, 2016 07:26pm

Sifarish at play...once again !! when are we ever going to learn to put our country first??

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Revenge

Mar 07, 2016 07:35pm

And they PAK is full of talent. If its true you won't go back to the one who's an utter failure and is full of swag without achievement.

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Revenge

Mar 07, 2016 07:37pm

@Ghalib Ghalib So mych for a country full of talent.

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Saad

Mar 07, 2016 07:38pm

Common sense at last. Khuram Manzoor was selected based on what performances I do not know, at least before being selected for Pakistan a player must be good enough to be selected for a PSL side. I do not think that he was even in any of the squads. Selecting Sharjeel Khan ahead of Ahmed Shehzad based on one innings was uncalled for since I feel that based on merit Ahmed Shehzad deserved a spot. The reasons for dropping him do not seem to be based on performance but more on personal issues.

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Yasir

Mar 07, 2016 07:40pm

Decision fully influenced by Afridi. This parchee system has destroyed pakistan cricket.

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shaffiq qureshi

Mar 07, 2016 07:42pm

This is utterly nonsense.why bring back shshzad

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N_Saq

Mar 07, 2016 07:46pm

I am not concerned with Ahmed Shehazad as it will not make much difference because batting line will remain weak. What Pak really needed was return of Mohammed Asif to back Amir in bowling. Without Asif I am not sure how successful Amir will be as there is no other bowler to complement Amir and put the same kind of pressure on the batsmen like Amir. With one strong bowler you may win some matches but you cannot win the whole tournament because now all batsmen have to do is concentrate and play Amir with caution and take chance on the other end as there will be no pressure from the other end. In such a scenario it will be very difficult for Amir to succeed. However, with Asif giving trouble from the other end as well will help Amir to rip through any batting line up.

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M.Saeed

Mar 07, 2016 07:48pm

....and the Dawn opinion poll on it is still alive, showing 65% of the people opposing his return!

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Sandeep Kumar

Mar 07, 2016 07:50pm

@Oz R u kidding??U are saying as if this Shahazad is some sort of a legend and he should be the permanent opener of the team even if he fails again and again...Y cant u back some one like Sami aslam..Y u Pak fans are in so much love with Shahzad??His strike rate in ODI is 72 which is the WORST in the world..and in T20 its only about 113 or 114..I think u PAK fans are now getting so used to mediocre players like akmal,afridi,hafeez,malik,riaz(in ODI T20) that in ur eyes even Shahzad is a legend...

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Sandeep Kumar

Mar 07, 2016 08:01pm

LEGEND IS BACK..PAK fans must be so happy today as they always wanted Shahzad back in the team...He is a superstar who strikes fear in bowlers with amazing ODI strike rate of 72 and T20 strike rate of 110...HE along with Afridi,Akmal,Maqsood should be permanent members of the team..They should decide when they will retire..Sad that Maqsood is missing.I mean who cares if likes of Sami aslam,fakhar zaman,mukhtar performs in domestic or not..They are nothing in front of Shahzad..Shahzad is better than Amla,Kohli,ABD...these 3 only strikes at around 90 in ODI but Shahzad strikes at 72 which is out of the world..

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AJamal

Mar 07, 2016 08:01pm

Good to see selection committee reacting to the reality instead of showing stubbornness.

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SAQ

Mar 07, 2016 08:07pm

Rotating the same old losers.

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SohailAnwar

Mar 07, 2016 08:21pm

What a circus at PCB n the entire management. Dropping players and re selective them for various reasons. Can we in big and cricket crazy loving country find players and groom them? Please don't keep chopping n changing. Not good for moral. Experts to find correct technique players and allow them to settle. Afridi S Malik Anwer Ali to retire and never to be reconsidered.

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Aziz

Mar 07, 2016 09:12pm

@natey They are just being proactive which is very unknown term to most Pakistanis.

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sabir

Mar 07, 2016 09:18pm

Its a shame..giving too many chances and fail

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Bipul

Mar 07, 2016 09:18pm

On paper this team looks pretty solid. Not sure why they loose badly. Maybe because of too much criticism from fans. Pakistani fans must grow up and support their team.

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Pak Fan

Mar 07, 2016 09:50pm

We still lack a proper batsman in the middle order who can rotate the strike and keep the wicket. Selectors again fail and didn't include someone like Barbar Azam in the middle order... We still have a weak batting lineup!! My Squad: 1. Hafreez, 2. Shazad, 3. Sarfraz, 4. Barbar/Sarjeel, 5. Malik, 6. Akmal, 7. Afridi, 8. Imad, 9.Wahab/Sami, 10. Amir, 11. Irfan...

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sam

Mar 07, 2016 09:59pm

Not much choice there... that is way Australia is strong and consistent side. Their bench is so strong, if someone gets hurt he is not guaranteed a spot back in the side. However Pak is complete opposite.

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SohailAnwar

Mar 07, 2016 10:14pm

@Sam, To provide a negative signal. 99% Afridi will be out in no time.

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Pak Fan

Mar 07, 2016 10:17pm

Barbar Azam or Harris Sohail needed in the middle! They are technically correct batsman!! Whats wrong with PCB!!!

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RAZA

Mar 07, 2016 10:23pm

Hopefully he will try his level best to prove his return. He is good batsman but little bit careless. He have to show some maturity now

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Karachi Wala

Mar 07, 2016 10:33pm

Manzoor is good for test only or may be one day too. Not a T20 material. This is a good change. Ahmed Shezad is fit for T20 and One day.very good batsman just needs your support. I think team is good you can not have everyone, we should support Afridi, Stop cirtisizing our heros. I read Wasim Akram article about Afridi career. It was good and very true. he is a good bowler and always a batsman without technique or planning, he just hit. And people always like him.

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Karachi Wala

Mar 07, 2016 10:35pm

@shahid afidi No Karachi born player selected in a team after scored 11 runs in continental competition. can you name it? I think you see people by race. Yes Khurrum Manzoor did play very bad and he is out from the team. We support this decision. Khurrum is a worst T20 opener.

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Karachi Wala

Mar 07, 2016 10:37pm

Sharjeel is a very good first sindhi player from Hyderabad sindh, we must support him. he will be IA our star soon.

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Karachi Wala

Mar 07, 2016 10:41pm

@Farooq Sarfraz was not playing for KP. Khurrum Manzoor did not play PSL do your homework b4 comments

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hassan

Mar 07, 2016 10:43pm

Such things can only happen in Pakistan cricket

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Asim Khan

Mar 07, 2016 10:49pm

I would go for the following if possible: 1. Kamran Akmal 2. Ahmed Shehzad 3. Mohammed Hafeez 4. Shoaib Malik 6. Umar Akmal 7. Shahid Afridi 8. Imad Wasim 9. Wahab Riaz 10. Mohammed Amir 11. Mohammed Irfan

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Com

Mar 07, 2016 11:04pm

We're is imran nazir he has been not selected because he may break boom boom record of 6s...

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Obaid K2

Mar 07, 2016 11:16pm

There is another one that can be in playing 11. Nasir Jamshed the slayer of the 2015 world cup. PCB will select him after Ahmed Shehzad failure. Ahmed Shahzad -> Nasir Jamshed -> Khurrum Manzor -> Owais Zia -> Rafatullah Mahmond -> Ahmed Shahzad

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Navid

Mar 07, 2016 11:26pm

I am sure if pakistan have the following playing XI with the same order they will win: Sharjeel khan, Shahid Afridi, Ahmed Shazad, Umar Akmel (wc) Mohammad Hafeez, Khalid Latif, shoaib Malik, Imad waseem, Mohammad smei, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Irfan. You will see the results and tell me if i am wrong.

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Navid

Mar 07, 2016 11:26pm

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Meer

Mar 07, 2016 11:43pm

Ahmed Shakira performance: 0% ability: 0% achievement: 0% swag: 100% Dropped after World Cup for bad performance and attitude. Selected again without any serious amendments to technique and performance. Failed again and Dropped. Selected again. What a sorry bunch of looserz we have in PCB.

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Meer

Mar 07, 2016 11:47pm

@Sandeep Kumar Well said mate!! Not everybody can understand sarcasm.

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johnpauljones

Mar 07, 2016 11:48pm

@aryan Should be practicing his catching..

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Usher

Mar 08, 2016 12:07am

@talha I just wonder have you ever played cricket? It can happen to anyone on a bad day. He bowled much better than the so called fast bowler Whab Riaz in Asia cup. If a team scores 32 runs in Ten overs you can't blame anyone else for the loss.

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Mar 08, 2016 12:10am

winning a world cup is a second thing, going to the qualifiers look impossible by looking at the squad.

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GHOUSE Shaikh

Mar 08, 2016 12:28am

And what was the Batting avg of Hafeez in Asia Cup? How many wickets? Why does he get to play every Match,T-20, 1-Day,Test. He must know someone Real Powerful in The Country,just like the Akmals and Shoaib Malik and Sohail Tanvir.

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Saeed Ahmed

Mar 08, 2016 12:44am

I have a suggestion which will save PCB money and save the selection committee a lot of headache and heartache. How about we make a deal with the opposing teams that we will start our batting with 15 overs and the scoreboard reading 20 for 3. We give them 3 wickets and 5 overs in exchange for 20 runs because this is about how much our top order can score anyway. No more worries about finding suitable openers and one down batsman. No more central contracts to dish out. Problem solved nicely. Give it a thought.

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Light

Mar 08, 2016 12:59am

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, until and unless whole PCB is fired , we will keep on seeing same drama again and again. They can not think beyond that. Its like electing Mr Nawaz Sharif and Co and expecting they would do better than before. If we cannot find new talent, then there is serious problem with how PCB is working and planned.

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Shahid

Mar 08, 2016 01:29am

On paper it looks to be a good strong team. Imad Wasim must be prefered over Nawaz in the playing 11. Afridi must bat at no. 4.

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parveez

Mar 08, 2016 02:02am

Nothing wrong with players. If players are guided in the right direction. Pakistan have got a decent team. IT IS THE PCB MANAGEMENT. It has been for the last 15, to 20 years, same people. How do you except them to do anything right.

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Wasi

Mar 08, 2016 02:06am

@Rohit Singh Not at all.

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Wasi

Mar 08, 2016 02:09am

@Sarah Wrong again.

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master

Mar 08, 2016 02:10am

need to change whole PCB management circle. it better to give chance young talented player than shehzad, sharjeel and shami.

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Wasi

Mar 08, 2016 02:10am

@Rohit Singh Not at all.

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Ali Asad

Mar 08, 2016 02:16am

Can somebody please dilate on his domestic performance & enlighten us? He averages 43 is his last ten matches (including 1, 0 & 10 during Asia Cup). The remaining 7 scores are 39, 27, 113, 14, 0, 125 & 101. The guy earned his spot owing to his spectacular domestic run. Now he is axed with his confidence down the drain already. When will we learn to evaluate players on at least 2 or 3 series?

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Wasi

Mar 08, 2016 02:16am

@Rohit Singh Why?

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hassan

Mar 08, 2016 02:18am

Why not 6 openers, Ahmad,shargeel,hafeez,safarz, afridi. Really disappointed

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haider

Mar 08, 2016 02:36am

He is afridi's bosom buddy. And afridi can't be fired because of the pressure from the sponsors, too much money has been put on him , ad campaigns and commercials etc. So just swallow it! Looking forward to some great cricket involving australia NZ SA and off course india, with a side show of super talented associate teams

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Wasi

Mar 08, 2016 02:43am

Not him again!

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AXH

Mar 08, 2016 02:44am

I am yet to understand, why Afridi is portrayed as some type of super star both by the media and by people.

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daada abba

Mar 08, 2016 02:51am

PARCHEE system alive and well and quite evident to even the international eyes now!

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Amin

Mar 08, 2016 04:31am

Pak Team very Unpredictable, At least showing some consistency for last few Years against Arch Rival India

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Sunil Singha

Mar 08, 2016 05:10am

@natey GoodOne Bro!

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Mar 08, 2016 05:50am

Pakistan is better off playing with 10 players rather than selecting Shehzad

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Asad Khan

Mar 08, 2016 06:54am

A decent side on paper - time will tell if they play as a champion team or not

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Vezper

Mar 08, 2016 08:29am

Let's accept the fact this is our squad and must think positive . First off, Afridi MUST open with Shehzad . Afridi does much better when batting in first four position , 398 runs in 18 games with an average of 23.62 with strike rate of 149.32. He is very likely to come off rather than fail.Afridi bowling is a big plus, many time over and over, when everyone fails , h'll come through with a wicket ,.. he did that in BD game too , so please Afridi haters please back off and support out team. Go Pakistan

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Philosopher (from Japan)

Mar 08, 2016 09:17am

How about Red card in cricket. Umpire can do what PCB couldn't. Send him off the field while coming for batting.

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Amarjit

Mar 08, 2016 09:50am

And yes he is going to wind the world cup single handedly! There is word called SETTEL and thats what Pakistan team need most not reshuffle team daily! Have a faith in team n players they will perform.

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chinna

Mar 08, 2016 10:32am

Shehzad is not a bad player, He needs to concentrate & Focus on cricket, Selectors and coach should sit and explain him about his role. Every person in their life has bad phase so please support him.

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SYED ADNAN SHAFQAT

Mar 08, 2016 12:28pm

Mr. Ahmad Shahzad, if you want to be consistent team member of Pakistan cricket team, you must put your head down, respect the fellow team members and follow your own game. This is the key note for you in T20 WC !

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Hyder

Mar 08, 2016 01:24pm

Sir Seriously this selection musical chair explain the dilemma of Pakistani cricket Thanks

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Rabbani

Mar 08, 2016 01:26pm

Why newaz in team . How many runs he gave in asia cup ? Asgare is better than newaz. Once Great Gavaskar toll that all " J " do well against Inida Javed minandad, Jahir abbas , Akib Javed, Jahid fazal and recently Junaed khan.. So Junaid is much better than sami.

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Nomi

Mar 08, 2016 01:55pm

Whats the performance of Mohammad Hafeez, he is always confused on the field, never perform yet has rock solid position in team for all formats....with Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Khalid Latif and Anwar Ali, you already come in field with 7 players, what miracle you can expect from Shahid Afridi ........ :)

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Shazad

Mar 08, 2016 06:43pm

I do not know why some people are criticizing Selection committee on selection of Manzoor, dropping Shahzad and then reselecting Shahazad. Actually, this is the way selection committee should do business. Select and drop players on their performance (irrespective of who they are): Anyhow, once a player is selected on merit, based on player's performances ( Aves, SR, etc) over last 10 domestic innings of relevant matches (FC for test, List A for ODis and Twenty20 for T20Is), that player should be given extended chance (at least 5 'international' innings) ... and if player do not perform over those 5 innings, the player should be dropped (whoever he maybe). Once dropped, player can make a come back through their performance again in domestic cricket , depending on available space (a player in national team lost his place). Important is that only merit (Ave, SR, Fielding, ER, etc) should be taken when selecting. After that, if team loses than also it is fine.

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shahbaz from india

Mar 08, 2016 06:56pm

good move from selectors it was necessary to get rid of khurram manzoor before world T20... i know that ahmad shahzad is also not consistent batsman but however he has experience which is very important for pakistan.... secondly there is no other good option than ahmad shahzad ... and also ahmaz shahzad plays good cricket on flat pitches . remember his century in T20 which he played in bangladesh last tym

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Shazad

Mar 08, 2016 07:00pm

@javeed: Why Ahmad Shahzad should not have got dropped? ... Here is his performance: In last 8 innings, Shahzad made: 8, 9, 16, 4, 28, 7, 17, 7 = 96 runs in last 8 innings at @ 12 runs per inning. On average, 12 runs per innings over last 8 innings is not enough for any batsman to play for country (forget opener, whose performance should be better than middle order batsman). Such player (whose average is 12 runs per innings) should be given extended rest and should only get selected again if that player proves himself in domestic cricket above other players and there is place in national team (player in national team do not perform even after over chance in at least 5 innings). Do you Know that if opener makes habit of losing his wicket quick (what Shahzad was doing), than team becomes third class team and that is what happened with Pakistani team.

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Nasir

Mar 08, 2016 07:58pm

He has some good connections and he can pull strings, go Pak go, loose one more!

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Farwa

Mar 08, 2016 08:46pm

Seriously Muhammad Sami still in squad? He is the main reason apart from Khurram Manzoor we lost Asia cup! He bowled the worse in the history of PAKISTANI bowling. Please reconsider your decision PCB.

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Shazad

Mar 08, 2016 10:20pm

Other than batting, Pakistan should think of fast bowlers. Why not select them on performance and stop discrimination, biases and provincialism? Life performance of Pakistan top 5 fast bowlers in T20I are as under: Sami: Inn 10 ... Wkts 17 ... Ave 17.29 ... ER: 8.16 ... SR: 12.7. ... . Gul: Inn 60 ... Wkts 85 ... Ave 16.97 ... ER: 7.19 ... SR: 14.1. ... . Amir: Inn 25 ... Wkts 31 ... Ave 20.58 ... ER: 6.93 ... SR: 17.8. ... . Riaz: Inn 17 ... Wkts 17 ... Ave 26.64 ... ER: 8.31 ... SR: 19.2. ... . Irfan: Inn 17 ... Wkts 13 ... Ave 31.00 ... ER: 6.86 ... SR: 27. ... . Looking at performance figures, Sami has best strike rate and Gul has best average (shade better than Sami). Amir ER is better than both Sami and U Gul. Riaz figures is worse in every respect. Irfan ER is fine. Thus, Pakistan 3 fast bowlers in team (on merit) should be Sami, Gul and Amir. If 4th bolwer is required than Irfan (due to his ER) be included.

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Pak Fan

Mar 09, 2016 12:27am

Selectors again fail and didn't include someone like Barbar Azam in the middle order... We still have a weak batting lineup!! My Squad: 1. Hafreez, 2. Shazad, 3. Sarfraz, 4. Barbar/Sarjeel, 5. Malik, 6. Akmal, 7. Afridi, 8. Imad, 9.Wahab/Sami, 10. Amir, 11. Irfan...

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Omar

Mar 09, 2016 02:10am

Why is Hafeez still in the team? Harris Sohail should be included ( after he becomes healthy) on a permanent basis as he scores heavy in one days at a good strike rate. It's time to drop Hafeez permanently and put Ahmed Shahzad on short notice.

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AWADH

Mar 09, 2016 02:41pm

@abid You are very right bro. Why selectors can not understand a simple logic

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AWADH

Mar 09, 2016 02:44pm

@SAM Ahemed Shahezad have no talent. He is a hitter like Afridi. Opener's talent is totally different than madly hitting the ball.

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Anil Pinnala

Mar 09, 2016 09:00pm

Excellent team