PCB Delays Announcement of World Cup Squad Due to Fitness and Performance Concerns

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to delay the announcement of its World Cup squad until late May due to concerns over fitness and performance issues with some players. According to a PCB source, the squad for the World T20 Cup will be announced on either May 23 or 24, which is the deadline set by the ICC for participating teams to make changes to their squads without seeking permission from the WC Technical Committee.

The management and selectors are particularly worried about niggling injuries to key players such as Muhammad Rizwan, Azam Khan, Irfan Khan Niazi, and Haris Rauf. These players will be closely monitored during the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, with the squad for these series set to be announced on Thursday.

While India, Australia, England, South Africa, and New Zealand have already announced their World Cup squads, Pakistan has decided to wait until after the first match in England to finalize their squad. This decision was made to allow more time for players like Babar Azam to settle down and re-establish team chemistry before the tournament.

In the meantime, a provisional squad has been sent to the ICC for public relations and promotion purposes. The probable squad for the upcoming series against Ireland and England includes Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi, among others.

With the deadline for squad changes looming, Pakistan will be closely monitoring the fitness and performance of their players before making the final announcement. Fans will have to wait a little longer to see who will represent Pakistan in the upcoming World Cup.