Wasim Akram, a former Pakistan cricket great and 1992 World Cup champion, chose his combined playing XI, which included players from both India and Pakistan, ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023 and the India-Pakistan match on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Unexpectedly, Akram left out incumbent captains Babar Azam and Rohit Sharma from his starting team.
He selected Saeed Anwar and Virender Sehwag for the opening positions. He put Sachin Tendulkar, who is renowned for his multiple international centuries, at number three. Javed Miandad was chosen by Akram for the fourth spot despite having a difficult decision to make because of his remarkable batting talents, situational awareness, and excellent fielding capabilities in his heyday.
He chose Virat Kohli for the fifth spot, seeing Kohli’s evident skill. Akram put Imran Khan, who would also serve as the team’s captain, in position six. One of Akram’s role models, Kapil Dev, was picked for the seventh spot. The bowling lineup was Saqlain Mushtaq, Jasprit Bumrah, and Waqar Younis, with MS Dhoni serving as the wicketkeeper.
The lineup for Wasim Akram is as follows:
- Saeed Anwar
- Virender Sehwag
- Sachin Tendulkar
- Javed Miandad
- Virat Kohli
- Imran Khan (Captain)
- Kapil Dev
- MS Dhoni (Wicketkeeper)
- Saqlain Mushtaq
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Waqar Younis.
