Saim Ayub out as PCB announces squad for Champions Trophy – Sport

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced the national squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy tournament with Saim Ayub a notable exclusion from the team due to his injuries.

In a video posted on the PCB’s X account, members of Pakistan’s winning squad for the 2017 edition announced the team lineup.

A press release issued by the PCB said the board has until February 11 to make any changes, after which any replacements would only be permitted on medical grounds, subject to approval by the ICC Event Technical Committee.

“The squad, to be captained by Mohammad Rizwan with Salman Ali Agha as vice-captain, includes three members from the 2017 title-winning side — Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf and Fakhar Zaman. Babar and Fakhar, along with Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Saud Shakeel had also featured in the last 50-over ICC event — the ICC Men’s 50-over Cricket World Cup 2023,” the PCB said.

Outlining the changes in the squad, the PCB said Abdullah Shafique, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub and Sufyan Moqim were replaced by Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah and Saud Shakeel.

Earlier, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said that the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will be reopened on February 7 by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while the Karachi Stadium will be reopened by President Asif Ali Zardari on February 11.

The reconstruction of three stadiums — in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi — which started on Oct 10 last year, looked in peril at one time as the board tried to finish the preparations for Pakistan’s first ICC event since the World Cup in 1996.

Speaking to the media in Gaddafi Stadium today, the PCB chairman said that the stadium would be “100 per cent complete before the inauguration on Feb 7”.

“It is the first time in history that a stadium, equipped with the latest international facilities, is prepared in Pakistan,” Naqvi said earlier in the day, adding that fans, along with players, would enjoy the facilities.

Earlier this month, the board extended the deadline to Feb 2 from the previous Jan 25, stating that most of the finishing work on the stadium was completed but the final touch would need 10 more days.

The two other stadiums under renovation for the event in Rawalpindi and Karachi are facing similar delays, however, the board has said that the preparations will be completed on time.