Misbah wanted Abrar Ahmed in World Cup squad

Former Pakistan captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, has revealed his strong desire to see the inclusion of mystery spinner, Abrar Ahmed, in Pakistan's squad for the ongoing 2023 World Cup scheduled in India. 

In a recent interview with a local media channel, the former head coach emphasized the importance of having Abrar, particularly when competing against different teams in the World Cup format, as it isn't a traditional series.

"Our [cricket committee] viewpoint was to include a mystery spinner especially when you are playing with different teams since it is not a series. Most of them would be playing for the first time," Misbah said.

The former captain proceeded to highlight the poor performance of Pakistan's spin bowling, emphasizing that it had fallen short of expectations during the recently concluded 2023 Asia Cup.

"We suggested keeping Abrar Ahmed in the squad keeping in mind, our spin bowling is not in good form and didn't do well in the Asia Cup," he said.

The 49-year-old was quick to clarify that Abrar's recommendation was based on his and Mohammad Hafeez's opinions, and the final decision ultimately rested with the team management and the captain, Babar Azam.

“Team management and captain’s decision is more important in this regard,” he concluded.

It is worth noting that the Men in Green holds the fifth position in the ICC 2023 World Cup points table, having accumulated 4 points. 

Their journey in the tournament began on a positive note with victories in their initial two matches against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. However, they experienced consecutive setbacks, suffering defeats at the hands of India, Australia, and Afghanistan.