"Worst selection ever in history by PCB" - Fans express their extreme displeasure over Pakistan's 15-man squad for the World Cup

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced their 15-man squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup on Monday. The BCCI are host the tournament in the UAE and Oman during October and November.

Several veteran players, including Shoab Malik, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, and Sarfaraz Ahmed, are missing from the squad.

Babar Azam will continue as skipper for the Pakistan side at the World Cup. 40-year-old all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez also secured a place in the final squad.

Pakistan's ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Squad: Babar Azam (c), Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohaib Maqsood, Azam Khan (wk), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Pakistan cricket fans were highly disappointed with the announced squad and criticized the selectors' decision to ignore players like Malik and Wahab Riaz.

They accused the authorities of being biased towards certain players and pointed out the poor record of those players. Here are some of the best fan reactions from Twitter:

While selecting the squad, we have tried to cover all our bases: Pakistan chief selector Muhammad Wasim

During the press conference, Pakistan chief selector Muhammad Wasim revealed the thought process of the selectors before they finalized the T20 World Cup squad.

He emphasized that they made the decisions after due deliberation about the current requirements of the game and the opponents Pakistan would face in the tournament. In this regard, Muhammad Wasim said:

It will be interesting to see how Pakistan fares in the tournament as the UAE has been like a home venue for them during the last decade.

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Balakrishna has been a cricket writer at Sportskeeda for almost seven years. A sport that he has been following and playing since he was eight, Balakrishna enjoys the intensity of the sport, skills and strategies applied to get a result out of nowhere, and the thrill that it gives. He also played as a medium pace bowling all-rounder in four inter-college tournaments, winning twice.

Balakrishna’s all-time favorite cricketers are Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. He admires Sachin’s stellar performances against legendary bowlers, along with his discipline and humility. Meanwhile, he is a big fan of how Rohit turned around his initial struggles to build a successful career.

He avidly supports Team India and 2016 IPL winners SunRisers Hyderabad. The first World Cup that Balakrishna ever saw was the 2003 World Cup, when Australia comprehensively triumphed over India in the final.

While working, he ensures he only uses reliable sources and provides relevant, ethical, and accurate information. When not working, Balakrishna enjoys playing table tennis and reading non-fiction books.

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"Worst selection ever in history by PCB" - Fans express their extreme displeasure over Pakistan's 15-man squad for the World Cup

While selecting the squad, we have tried to cover all our bases: Pakistan chief selector Muhammad Wasim