Babar in Pakistan's T20 World Cup squad, Rauf misses out

Pakistan have named their T20 World Cup 15-member squad though it is no guarantee that they have come to a decision on playing the tournament.

A day after PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi plunged Pakistan's participation into uncertainty after Bangladesh's ouster, the board put out a World Cup squad that greatly resembled the one that was announced for the bilateral T20Is against Australia starting January 29. The only one missing from that group is fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jnr.

Chief selector Aaqib Javed said the naming of the squad had nothing to do with Pakistan's ultimate call on participation.

"We are selectors, and our job is to pick the team. We've announced the team very close to the deadline. The government will decide on our participation so I can say nothing on that front. That's what the chairman has said, too, so we'll wait for their decision."

With an ICC deadline of January 30 for all teams to finalise their squads, there was never enough time to assess individual performances in the series against Australia. That means Haris Rauf, the top wicket-taker in the Big Bash League, will miss the T20 World Cup.

Rauf last played a T20I at the Asia Cup final against India in September, when his expensive spell in the dying stages of a thriller ended up costing Pakistan the game. He leaked 18 runs in the 18th over when India needed 30 from 18 and another 13 from four balls when India required 10 from the last over. He is understood to have fallen well down the pecking order for Pakistan since.

Conversely Babar Azam, who struggled at the BBL, has secured a spot for his fourth T20 World Cup. He scored 202 runs across 11 innings at a strike rate of 103.06 - the lowest for any player who has ever scored over 200 runs in a BBL season. In a crucial group stage game, he took offence when his Sydney Sixers team-mate Steven Smith turned down a single off the last ball of an over to keep Babar off strike, and though they eventually reconciled, Babar scored one run in the two innings that followed.

He returned home with Sixers progressing to the finals, and though the official line was he had been called back for national duty, there were calls - including from former Australia batter Mark Waugh - to drop him from Sixers' starting XI. It will be Babar's first T20 World Cup where he participates without being captain of the side, which will be led by Salman Agha.

It was widely expected that Pakistan would drop a seamer from the 16-man squad against Australia for the World Cup, owing to perceived conditions in Sri Lanka. Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza and Naseem Shah are the three specialist fast bowlers Pakistan take with them, while stocking their spin ranks more robustly. Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq all make the final cut.

Pakistan are scheduled to play the opening game of the World Cup, against the Netherlands on 7 February in Colombo.

Salman Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk) Usman Tariq