Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has expressed his thoughts on the Men in Green's performance and expectations in the ICC World Cup 2023.
While talking to the media, Malik highlighted the importance of including Saud Shakeel in the team.
The 28-year-old made a mark by playing a superb knock of 53-ball 75 in the warm-up game against New Zealand in Hyderabad last week.
"I always thought Saud Shakeel should be mandatory in the Pakistan Cricket Team. A batter with a strong technique like Saud plays an important role after Babar Azam and M Rizwan."
Malik also emphasised the need to support Babar Azam as the captain of the team in the mega event.
"Babar Azam has been doing captaincy of Pakistan, and this is the time to support him. The media also has to play an important role in supporting Babar in the World Cup. I'm very much hopeful for the good performance of the Pakistan Cricket Team and the captaincy of Babar in the World Cup."
Regarding the team's warm-up matches, Malik pointed out, "Pakistan has also scored around 700 runs if they conceded 700 runs in warm-up matches."
Meanwhile, he also shed light on the absence of Naseem Shah, who is out of the World Cup due to a shoulder injury.
"Naseem, Shaheen [Shah] and Haris [Rauf] became a strong trio. Unfortunately, Naseem got injured, but the PCB Selection Committee should have given occasional opportunities to other bowlers as well previously," he added.
Pakistan start their campaign on October 6 in Hyderabad against the Netherlands.
It must be noted Pakistan lost both of their warm-up games against New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand thumped Pakistan by five wickets while Australia claimed the win by 14 runs.
The ICC World Cup 2023 will take place in India with 10 teams fighting for the elusive title across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and the final.
The Cricket World Cup will be played in the round-robin format with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches.
The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, which will be held in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.
Pakistan's schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023
October 6 — vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
October 10 — vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
October 14 — vs India in Ahmedabad
October 20 — vs Australia in Bengaluru
October 23 — vs Afghanistan in Chennai
October 27 — vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 — vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 — vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
November 11 — vs England in Kolkata
