Ex captain ecstatic over Abid Ali’s ‘fairytale entry’ into Pakistan World Cup

Pakistan finally announced its much awaited 15-members squad for World Cup 2019, bringing smiles to many while crushing hopes of others as well.

With fans and pundits giving their views over the squad, Pakistan former captain-turned-cricket commentator Ramiz Raja expressed delight over the inclusion of domestic cricket veteran Abid Ali into the squad.

“I am very happy with the inclusion of Abid Ali, because he has emerged as an excellent role model and an example for all those cricketers that have been playing First Class cricket for quite some time and have been performing as well.

“You get to know that when you are making runs on the board, the selection committee comes under pressure, and when one has a good form then they can hit a hundred on debut.

"Abid Ali has enjoyed a fairytale entry because at aged 31 one gets disheartened over not getting recognized,” he said, while talking at Ramiz Speaks.

Abid has represented Pakistan in only two One Day Internationals (ODIs), featuring a memorable century on debut against Australia, in a recently concluded bilateral series.

Pakistan World Cup Squad:

Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shoaib Malik and Abid Ali.