The Pakistan cricket team is getting ready for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. They’re considered one of the top teams. They won in 2009 and were runners-up in the last tournament in Australia. Now, under Babar Azam’s leadership and with a new support team, they look strong.
But before they can aim for victory, they have to face India, their big rivals. Also, there are players from Pakistan-origin in other teams like USA and Canada, who they’ll compete against.
Let’s look at 5 standout Pakistan-origin players who will play against Babar Azam’s team at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
1. Saad Bin Zafar (Canada)
Saad Bin Zafar, the captain of Canada’s cricket team, was born in Gujranwala, Pakistan in November 1986. After moving to Canada, he played in big cricket leagues like CPL and Global T20 Canada. He has played 39 T20I matches for Canada, scoring 272 runs and taking 43 wickets. He’s going to lead Canada against Pakistan on June 11 in New York.
2. Junaid Siddiqui (Canada)
Junaid Siddiqui, who was born in Karachi, began playing cricket in Mississauga when he was young. He’s good at both spin bowling and batting. In August 2011, he played his first international match for Canada against Afghanistan. Since then, he has played nine One Day International matches and 20 Twenty20 International matches. Now, at 39 years old, he’s getting ready to play against Pakistan on June 11 at the T20 World Cup in 2024.
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3. Kaleem Sana (Canada)
Kaleem Sana, a fast bowler from Canada, was born in Rawalpindi. He started playing professional cricket in 2008. After moving to Canada, he played his first international match in 2022 against the Philippines. He’s 30 years old now. In the 17 games he played for Canada, he took 28 wickets in T20 matches. He’s known for his speed, with an average of 13.25 runs per wicket and a good economy rate of less than six runs per over.
4. Shayan Jahangir (USA)
Shayan Jahangir, a cricket player from the USA, used to play for Pakistan International Airlines in 2014. He also played for Pakistan’s Under-19 team in some youth one-day matches before moving to the USA for new opportunities. Jahangir has played in cricket matches in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Major League Cricket (MLC) in the West Indies and the USA. He is now the main wicketkeeper for his country in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Even though he has only played in one T20I (Twenty20 International) for the USA, he might get to play in his team’s next match against Pakistan in Group A.
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5. Ali Khan (USA)
Ali Khan was born in Pakistan but moved to Ohio when he was 19. He’s played cricket in different leagues and for different teams. He got to play his first international matches in 2019 and 2021. Ali is known for being really fast and accurate when he bowls. He’s done well for the USA team, taking 10 wickets in nine matches. Recently, he played a big part in helping the USA team win against Bangladesh.
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