Ali Tareen slams Shan Masood's exclusion from Pakistan T20I squad

Multan Sultans' co-owner Ali Tareen, in a tweet on Friday, slammed the decision made by the Pakistan selection committee to leave out opener Shan Masood from the squad picked to take on England in the upcoming three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series.

Tareen expressed his shock at the exclusion of the current captain of the Sultans side, after his impeccable run of form during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season five.

“How is Shan Masood not in the squad! He was the 3rd highest Pakistani run-scorer in the PSL, at a strike rate higher than Babar Azam. He captained a team from 5th to 1st. Ridiculous that he's not even in the squad!” Tareen tweeted.

How is Shan Masood not in the squad! He was the 3rd highest Pakistani run scorer in the PSL, at a strike rate higher than Babar Azam. He captained a team from 5th to 1st. Ridiculous that he's not even in the squad! https://t.co/r5uIGhvo9A

— Ali Khan Tareen (@aliktareen) August 21, 2020

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The co-owner of the Multan Sultans side, while replying to a question on Twitter, also claimed that wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan should have made way for Masood as the former was not suitable for T20 cricket.

“Muhammad Rizwan, not a T20 batsman,” he tweeted.

Muhammad Rizwan, not a T20 batsman.

— Ali Khan Tareen (@aliktareen) August 21, 2020

Earlier, a 17-player shortlist was announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), through a press release on Friday, for the T20Is against England.

The Babar Azam-led team will play Eoin Morgan’s England at Old Trafford, Manchester, from 28 August to 1 September.

Pakistan squad

Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz.