Don’t see major changes in T20 squad before the World Cup: Pak skipper Salman

Pakistan’s T20 skipper Salman Ali Agha has ruled out any major changes in his squad for the Men’s T20 World Cup next year, saying the side has shown a marked improvement after the players were given specific roles in recent months.

Pakistan, which had made big changes to its side following the Asia Cup final defeat to India earlier this year, bringing in Abdul Samad, Babar Azam, Usman Khan and Naseem Shah, defeated South Africa at home in a three-match T20I series and then won the Tri-series, also involving Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, last month.

“In my personal opinion, I don’t see any major changes in the national T20 squad before the World Cup,” Salman said on a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) podcast.

“I think the current combination we have will be the one we will have in the World Cup. Every player had been given a specific role in recent months and with that the team had moved forward,” he added.

Pakistan are scheduled to play six T20 games before the World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 till March 8 next year, and Salman said the limited number of matches would make it difficult to make major changes.

“We have six T20 matches to play before the World Cup and I don’t think we can make any big changes now in these remaining matches. We have to show consistency and move forward with the current combination,” he said.

Experienced all-rounder Shadab Khan, who was the vice-captain of the side before he got injured in May and underwent a shoulder surgery in London, is now rehabilitated and is set to make a comeback in the Big Bash in Australia.

Salman said the “doors were not closed” for Shadab to return to the side for the T20 World Cup as he was a very experienced player.

Salman said his dream was to not just win the T20 World Cup but also the 50-over showpiece in 2027.

He said playing a short series in Sri Lanka next month would be extremely beneficial for his players as they would play all their T20 World Cup games in the island nation.