Initially, the Pakistan cricket team announced a 17-member squad including crucial players like Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, etc., and later middle-order batter Saud Shakeel was also added as the 18th member of the squad. The team has named Tayyab Tahir as the traveling reserve.

“He is playing spin very well, so we included him in the Asia Cup squad,” skipper Babar Azam said after their victory in the third ODI against Afghanistan in Colombo on Saturday.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf praised the dedication and unity of the team and achieving the number 1 ODI rank. “We have Asia Cup and World Cup coming in the future, so we are determined to maintain this position and continue to excel across all formats of the game,” Ashraf said in a statement.

Pakistan is set to face Nepal at Multan Stadium in the Asia Cup 2023 opener on 30 August. The high-voltage match of India vs Pakistan is scheduled for 2 September at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, a cricket stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2023

Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel.

Traveling Reserve: Tayyab Tahir

Updated: 27 Aug 2023, 03:28 PM IST