IND vs PAK: Saud Shakeel Added To Pakistan Squad For Asia Cup 2023

In what has been a major development, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to add the 27-year-old left-handed batsman Saud Shakeel to the Pakistan squad for the Asia Cup 2023.

Asia Cup 2023, which will be played in the One Day International (ODI) format, will commence on Wednesday, August 30, and the summit clash will be held on Sunday, September 17.

A total of six teams will feature in the marquee tournament, which consists of 13 matches. India, Pakistan, and Nepal form Group A while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan are placed in Group B.

The tournament is set to be played in a hybrid model and it will be co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Four matches are scheduled to be played in Pakistan while the rest of the matches will be held in Sri Lanka, including the final.

Tayyab Tahir To Be A Reserve Player After Saud Shakeel’s Inclusion

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had announced the squads for the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan and Asia Cup 2023 together. Saud Shakeel was named in the squad for Afghanistan ODIs, but he missed out on selection in the 17-man Asia Cup squad.

However, now he has been included in the 17-man squad with Tayyab Tahir making the way for the left-handed batter. Tahir will remain in the Pakistan squad but as a traveling reserve.

Saud Shakeel was in spectacular form in the recent two-match Test series against Sri Lanka away from home. He played an absolutely stupendous knock of unbeaten 208 runs in the first innings of the first Test to bail his side out of trouble and followed it up with a crucial knock of 30 runs in the second innings in Galle.

Saud Shakeel was once again stellar in the second Test in Colombo as he scored a brilliant 57 runs, which also came in a winning cause as Pakistan won the series 2-0.

Meanwhile, Pakistan will begin their Asia Cup campaign against Nepal in Multan on August 30 and they will next take on arch-rivals India on September 2 in Kandy.

Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2023:

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

Traveling reserve:Tayyab Tahir