The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has entered the final stage of preparations to finalize the squad for next month’s ICC Champions Trophy.
According to sources, the team will participate in a tri-nation series against South Africa and New Zealand before announcing the team for the tournament, after which the final list of names will be handed over to board chief Mohsin Naqvi for approval.
The name of the replacement has also reportedly been finalized in case of opener Saim Ayub’s unavailability due to injury.
Out-of-form opener Abdullah Shafiq and middle-order batter Usman Khan are unlikely to be included in the Champions Trophy squad, however, aggressive opener Fakhar Zaman has an opening slot confirmed, while either Imam-ul-Haq or Haseebullah will be chosen alongside him.
According to sources, the participation of Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Kamran Ghulam, Tayyab Tahir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Muqim, Irfan Khan, Fakhar Zaman and Muhammad Hasnain seems certain.
7 teams participating in the Champions Trophy have announced their names, only the host Pakistan team is yet to be announced, the squad can be finalized by February 11 under ICC rules.
