Pakistan’s journey to the T20 World Cup has been long and winding.
They’ve seen teams like New Zealand and England pull out of the Pakistan trip. In recent months, claiming a variety of reasons.
New Zealand went home from Pakistan after canceling their trip minutes. Before the first match in Rawalpindi, citing a government security concern.
England followed suit this week, canceling their men’s and women’s tours of Pakistan due to the “emotional and physical well-being” of the players.
As such, the deadly 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore, Pakistan was ostracized by other cricketing nations for over a decade but has recently wooed back top international sides.
As if it wasn’t bad enough, their head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and his trusted deputy Waqar Younis. That chose to resign just hours after the tournament squad was released.
It followed by another resignation, this time from Chief Executive Wasim Khan. Who had spent a decade working to restore international cricket.
Then, just days before the competition, Pakistan added Sarfaraz Ahmed, Haider Ali, and Fakhar Zaman to their 15-man T20 World Cup team as replacements.
Azam Khan
However, Azam Khan and Mohammad Hasnain replace by wicketkeeper Sarfaraz and batsman Haider, respectively. While opener Fakhar, who was originally selected as a travel reserve, has been replaced by Khushdil Shah.
Pakistan, on the other hand, has a history of thriving in the face of adversity. They have had a good 2021 in the format, with nine victories and only five losses. This included a series of victories against South Africa (twice), Zimbabwe, and the West Indies, as well as a 2-1 defeat in England.
Pakistan’s World Cup campaign will begin against arch-rival India. Former champions India and Pakistan will play in a T20 World Cup blockbuster in Dubai on Sunday. The buildup to the match demonstrates the game’s ongoing appeal between the subcontinent’s bickering neighbors.
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