Mohammad Amir named in Pakistan’s 15-man squad ahead of World Cup
- Pakistan have confirmed their squad for the upcoming Cricket World Cup
- Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Asif Ali are all included in the squad
- Pakistan begin their campaign against West Indies on May 31 at Trent Bridge
Pakistan have included pace bowler Mohammad Amir in their final 15-man World Cup squad.
Amir, who missed the last World Cup while serving a ban for spot-fixing, is one of three changes from the provisional squad following the 4-0 one-day international series defeat to England.
Fellow left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz, who has not played an ODI since June 2017, is a surprise inclusion while batsman Asif Ali – who played in all four matches against England – also makes the squad.
Mohammad Amir is named in Pakistan’s World Cup squad despite not playing against England
The 27-year-old Amir was left out of the initial squad after suffering a major dip in ODI form which has seen him take just three wickets in his last 12 innings.
It seemed he would need to show some form against England to force his way into the squad, but he did not bowl a ball in the series after the only game in which he was selected was washed out at the Oval.
Amir has been included regardless, as has batsman Ali who hit two half-centuries against England.
Wahab Riaz was a surprise inclusion in the team after his international career appeared over
Wahab’s inclusion will be the one that raises eyebrows. The 33-year-old has been brought back in from the cold after his international career had seemingly been ended.
Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq explained that conditions had influenced their decision, saying: “Wahab’s ability to reverse swing the ball got him selected.
“Nobody expected the pitches in the UK will play flat even in the early season there. So we have realised that and reviewed our selection.”
Junaid Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Abid Ali are the three men who miss out for Pakistan, who begin their World Cup campaign against the West Indies on May 31.