3 Players missed out on Pakistan's ODI World Cup 2023 squad

Pakistan have announced their 15-man squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023. Hasan Ali was named in the squad in place of the injured Naseem Shah. He picked up an injury during the Super 4 match of the recently concluded Asia Cup against India.

Hasan is an ideal replacement for Naseem, having picked 91 wickets at an average of 30.36 since making his debut in 2017. They have picked one wicketkeeper for the World Cup and it is Mohammad Rizwan. Though Mohammad Haris will be travelling reserve.

There have been a few surprising absentees as well, picking only one wicketkeeper and excluding experienced batter Sarfaraz Ahmed is a notable one. They suffered back-to-back defeats against India and Sri Lanka and failed to qualify for the final. The Asian Giants have also brought in an extra legspinner in Usama Mir. Shadab Khan will be the vice-captain after speculations of dropping him after he failed to have an impact in the Asia Cup.

Here are three players who missed out on Pakistan’s squad for the World Cup

3. Shan Masood 

Shan Masood (Source- Twitter)

Masood was not even named in Pakistan’s 18-man squad for the 2023 Asia Cup and the ODI series against Afghanistan. Masood has scored 163 runs in 9 ODIs, at an average of 18.11, and has hit just one half-century in the format.

He had a below-par home season against New Zealand this year when he scored only 52 runs in four ODIs. The left-handed batter in his Test career to date has played 30 matches to date in his Test career and has scored 1,597 runs, with an average of 29. In ODI career, he has played 9 matches to date in his ODI career and has scored 163 runs, with an average of 18. He has played 19 matches to date in his T20 career and has scored 395 runs, with an average of 30.

2. Imad Wasim 

Imad Wasim (Source- Twitter)

Imam Wasim's exclusion from the World Cup squad has been a question for Pakistan fans. Imad is currently featured in the Caribbean Premier League for Jamaica Tallahwahs. The all-rounder has delivered some fine performances for the team, scoring 268 runs and taking 14 wickets in 10 games.

The all-rounder was part of the squad for the T20I World Cup in 2021. He played 6 times during that World Cup, contributing 11 runs, and four wickets. In ODI, he has 986 runs and an average of more than 42.86 with a strike rate of 110. The all-rounder also has 44 wickets from 55 ODIs while going at an economy of 4.88.

1. Sarfaraz Ahmed 

Sarfaraz Ahmed (Source- Twitter)

With one wicketkeeper in the squad Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed should have been in the squad. He is one of the most successful captains of Pakistan. Under him, Pakistan won the 2017 Champions Trophy by defeating their arch-rivals India. He recorded 11 consecutive T20I series wins for the Asian Giants.

In Sarfraz Ahmed's ODI career, he has played 117 matches to date in his ODI career and has scored 2,315 runs, with an average of 34. He has played 61 matches to date in his T20 career and has scored 818 runs, with an average of 27. In the ODI and under his leadership, Pakistan played 50 matches out of which they won 28 matches, lost 20 matches, and had a winning rate of 58.33.