T20 World Cup: Shahid Afridi extends support, 'sincerest prayers' to team

"Keep your heads high and give it your best. May you be successful in making us all proud, Insha Allah," says former skipper

Sports Desk

October 08, 2021

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi. — AFP

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi on Friday wished the Pakistan team success in the ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled to start on October 17.

"My support and sincerest prayers are with the boys going for T20 World Cup. Keep your heads high and give it your best. May you be successful in making us all proud, Insha Allah. #PakistanZindabad," he wrote.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier today announced the final squad for the tournament.

According to the changes made by PCB in the final 15, Fakhar Zaman has been included in the side, besides Haider Ali and Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Muhammad Hasnain has been dropped, whereas Shahnawaz Dahani and Khushdil Shah have been included in the list of reserve players along with Usman Qadir.

The national squad selected for the World Cup will enter a bio-secure bubble today. The players will spend one day in isolation after getting tested for coronavirus.

The team will be trained for the tournament at the National High Performance Centre (NHPC) from Sunday.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will be held in the United Arab Emirates from October 17 to November 14. Pakistan is in Group 2 and will open their campaign against India on October 24 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Final T20 World Cup squad

Babar Azam (captain, Central Punjab)

Shadab Khan (vice-captain, Northern)

Asif Ali (Northern)

Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

Haider Ali (Northern)

Haris Rauf (Northern)

Hasan Ali (Central Punjab)

Imad Wasim (Northern)

Mohammad Hafeez (Central Punjab)

Mohammad Nawaz (Northern)

Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper, Sindh)

Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

Sohaib Maqsood (Southern Punjab)

Travelling reserves: Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab), Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh) and Usman Qadir (Central Punjab)

Player support personnel: Mansoor Rana (manager), Saqlain Mushtaq (interim head coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant head coach), Matthew Hayden (batting consultant), Vernon Philander (bowling consultant), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saaiman (strength and conditioning coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Talha Ejaz (team analyst), Col (retd) Muhammad Imran (Security Manager), Ibrahim Badees (media and digital manager), Dr Najeeb Soomro (team doctor) and Malang Ali (masseur)