The excitement for the ICC World Cup 2023 is building up as the tournament is set to kick off on October 5 in India. Among the ten participating teams, Pakistan is expected to be a formidable contender in the competition. In this article, we provide an overview of Pakistan’s World Cup squad and their schedule.
The Tournament Format
The ICC World Cup 2023 is set to include ten teams, comprising Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, England, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and the Netherlands. The competition will adhere to a round-robin structure, where each team will compete against all the other teams once during the league stage.
For Pakistan in the World Cup 2023, the journey entails a schedule of nine matches leading up to the semi-finals. Their campaign commences with a match against the Netherlands on October 6, concluding with their last league encounter against England on November 11.
Pakistan’s World Cup History
In the previous edition of the World Cup in 2019, Pakistan fell short of reaching the semi-finals. However, they displayed their prowess by reaching the final of the T20 World Cup last year in Australia. With their strong performances in recent tournaments, Pakistan enters the World Cup 2023 as a strong contender to clinch the title.
The tournament’s location in India offers Pakistan favorable conditions similar to their home country. Notably, Pakistan has not played in India since 2016, adding to the anticipation surrounding their performance in this World Cup.
Pakistan’s World Cup 2023 Schedule
Here is Pakistan’s schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023:
– October 6: Pakistan vs Netherlands (Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad) – 2:00 PM IST
– October 10: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad) – 2:00 PM IST
– October 14: Pakistan vs India (Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad) – 2:00 PM IST
– October 20: Pakistan vs Australia (M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru) – 2:00 PM IST
– October 23: Pakistan vs Afghanistan (MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai) – 2:00 PM IST
– October 27: Pakistan vs South Africa (MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai) – 2:00 PM IST
– October 31: Pakistan vs Bangladesh (Eden Gardens, Kolkata) – 2:00 PM IST
– November 4: Pakistan vs New Zealand (M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru) – 10:30 AM IST
– November 11: Pakistan vs England (Eden Gardens, Kolkata) – 2:00 PM IST
Pakistan’s Probable Squad for World Cup 2023
While the official squad for the World Cup 2023 is yet to be announced, it is expected to closely resemble the squad named for the Asia Cup 2023 a few weeks ago. Leading the team will be Babar Azam, with key players such as Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, and Shadab Khan expected to make significant contributions.
Probable Squad: Babar Azam (Captain), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi.
