Mickey Arthur (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Pakistan’s team director, Mickey Arthur, has opened up on the pool of players for the Asia Cup 2023 and the ODI World Cup. Arthur spoke with a local Pakistani news television channel, answering questions about the selection of players such as Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir, Haris Sohail, and Umar Akmal. Arthur mentioned that the squad which featured against New Zealand in a recent ODI series at home will form the core of Pakistan’s Asia Cup and forthcoming ODI World Cup sides.
The highly anticipated India vs Pakistan clash is set to take place on October 15 in Ahmedabad in the ODI World Cup 2023. Arthur also expressed the challenges his side will be facing while playing in front of such a large crowd, especially in Ahmedabad, which is the biggest cricket stadium in the world. He also emphasised that his squad is capable of beating any team in the world, regardless of the venue.
“We picked a squad that played against New Zealand. That is the squad we are going to draw from [for Asia Cup and World Cup]. Haris Sohail was in that squad but he didn’t play because of fitness issues. A couple of those guys have put their names up lately, but the squad we had for the New Zealand series and the squad that will go for these events won’t differ much,” said Arthur in an interview with a local Pakistani channel as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Mickey Arthur highlights importance of providing players with assurance of selection
“We had around 20 players in that series, we just need to cut it to 15. It is not going to differ much because I believe in giving security to players as that will give clarity to them about their roles in the team. I don’t want players playing with an axe over their head or with insecurity about their place,” he further added.
Interestingly, the Asia Cup 2023 is set to be hosted jointly by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as the Indian team will play all its games outside Pakistan. However, Pakistan are yet to clarify their stand on whether they are willing to come to India to participate in the ODI World Cup 2023.