Pakistan ODI squad for Afghanistan series and Asia Cup:

Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Haris (wk), Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shan Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Abdullah Shafique, Tayyab Tahir, Usama Mir, Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Agha, Saud Shakeel (only for Afghanistan series).

The squad for the Afghanistan series in Sri Lanka includes 18 players. Of them, Saud Shakeel will not be part of the 17-member Asia Cup squad.

No Shan Masood

While Inzamam-ul-Haq, the new chair of selectors, might insist that Shan is “part of our plans”, time may be running out for the 33-year-old.

To be fair, one can see the point. His nine-match ODI career – five in 2019, four in 2023 – have yielded 163 runs (including five single-digit scores) at 18.11, and he strikes at a rate under 70.

The top four looks ominous

Pakistan might still have persisted with Masood, had they not boasted of arguably the most potent ODI top three in the world – Fakhar (average 48.43, strike rate 93), Imam (51.30 and 83), and Babar (59.17 and 89).

With 886 points, Babar is the top-ranked ODI batter in the world. Third-placed Fakhar’s 755 is not far behind the 777 of Rassie van der Dussen, the only non-Pakistani in the top four. With 745, Iman makes up the quartet.

Yet, Masood would have been one top-order option too many in this outfit, given Mohammad Rizwan’s superlative performance up the order in 2023 (343 runs at 68.60, strike rate 95).

Faheem is back, but for how long?

Faheem averaged 11.47 with the bat across 31 ODIs (in all List A cricket, the number reads 15.12). He has bowled fewer than seven overs per ODI, has struck every nine overs (in other words, fewer than once per match), and averages 46.08.

While one can see why he has not played an ODI in over two years, it is worth a mention that he has not played a List A match since March 2022, but has been a regular in the other formats. Perhaps it was his PSL 2023 performance (215 runs, strike rate 149, average 35.83; eight wickets) that alerted the attention of selectors.

Inzamam insisted that Pakistan picked him because “the squad doesn’t have another fast-bowling all-rounder.” An interesting point, given that Mohammad Wasim averages 24.20 for his 24 ODI wickets, and has a List A batting average (19.38) higher than Faheem’s.

Perhaps Faheem is a candidate for the final 15. Perhaps not.

Which all-rounders will play?

Shadab, leg-spin. Faheem, right-arm pace. Iftikhar, off-break. Nawaz, left-arm finger-spin. Wasim, right-arm pace. Salman, off-break. All of them are all-rounders. Perhaps even the big-hitting Mir and, in his new avatar, Shaheen.

The Pakistan side will almost consist of Imam, Fakhar, Babar, and Rizwan in the top four, and their fast bowlers at the bottom. The question is, which four or five will make it to the XI?

Pace, not spin

Pakistan will almost certainly pick Shaheen, Rauf, and Naseem in the XI, followed by at least one pace-bowling all-rounder. Shadab will walk into the side as well, along with one, or even two finger-spin bowling all-rounders.

But what about spinners? There is little doubt over Mir’s potential, but will Pakistan include two leg-spinners in the starting XI? If not, will they go in without that one strike spin bowler in a World Cup in India?