Pakistan captain Babar Azam addressed the inclusion of Hasan Ali in the 18-member squad for the T20I series against Ireland and England.

During a press briefing before the team’s journey to Ireland, Babar defended the selection of the seasoned right-arm pacer, emphasizing that Hasan’s presence was as a backup and not as a direct member of the 15-player World Cup squad.

“I am hearing for quite some time that why is he [Hassan Ali] back? Selectors have also made it clear that he is there as back up. It is not that he is part of the 15-member squad [for World Cup]. We need to understand that he is a backup because of his experience,” Babar said.

“It is not because of just one person that he [Hasan] is selected. There are seven selectors who selected him,” he added.

Last week, Pakistan batter Ahmed Shahzad expressed skepticism regarding Hasan Ali’s inclusion, suggesting that personal relationships might have influenced the decision rather than performance.

Speaking to a local channel, Shehzad said, “Hasan Ali was going to find his way back in the team because see Azhar Mahmood has come, he likes Hasan Ali a lot. They have a close relation. Wahab Riaz has had a close relationship with Hasan Ali. Even Babar Azam is close with Hasan Ali.”

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi had also expressed surprise over the selection of pacer Hassan Ali.

“I was also a bit surprised by Hasan Ali’s selection. Maybe the selection committee thought that we need an experienced backup bowler, but if I talk about performance, I don’t see any such performance from Hasan Ali. I was thinking that Zaman Khan or Mohammad Ali could have been selected,” Afridi said.

Pakistan squad for Ireland and England T20Is:

Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan