Pakistan World Cup squad: Analysts react to changes

Three major changes were announced in Pakistan’s World Cup squad. Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz were included in the side in place of Junaid Khan and Faheem Ashraf.

Aalia Rasheed – Senior journalist

“It’s for the first time that I am seeing Inzaman handle the situation maturely. These decisions were not based on emotions rather the conditions which were seen n England. It was clearly seen that there was a lack of experience on the bowling side. We took Hasnain and even Shaheen Shah Afridi. Our boys only ball one or two good deliveries in an over. You could see a lack of experience. In my opinion, the inclusion of Amir and Wahab Riaz is good because they are impact bowlers. Mohammad Amir in recent times has not taken many wickets but his economy is good. It is because of experience that we are playing Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez and this is why Amir and Wahab Riaz were included. In these dry conditions, you need a bowler who is fast and can reverse swing. The World Cup comes around once in four years and there is nothing wrong in playing your experienced best players”

Abdul Majid Bhatti – Senior journalist

“In the press conference when Inzamam was asked about the U-turn, he responded that this was not a matter of his ego. It was the team’s need to include Wahab Riaz who should have been part of the squad from the beginning. The selection committee takes a U-turn when there is criticism from the media. Inzamam was a big player but in the last three years, he has made more mistakes as a chief selector than anyone else. God willing Wahab will perform well but the way he was included in the squad shows there was no homework done by the selection committee. They tried all the bowlers and when they failed the only option was Wahab Riaz who was included. Wahab Riaz should have been included in the ODI series against England so he could get used to the conditions.”

Sikander Bakht – Former cricketer, analysts

 "Wahab Riaz's form was not good in the last match he played. I pray that he [Wahab Riaz] performs well. But, it has been proven again that the selectors are not paying attention and doing their job. A month back I had predicted that there would be two to three changes in the World Cup team and that has happened."