Pakistan announces 15-member squad for 2024 T20 World Cup led by Babar Azam: See the list

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the country's 15-member squad for the upcoming 2024 ICC T20 World Cup to be held in the United States and West Indies from June 1 to June 29.

“This is an extremely talented and balanced side that has a mixture of youth and experience," PCB said in a statement. "These players have been playing together for some time and look well prepared and settled for next month’s event."

Pakistan almost clinched its second trophy, under the captaincy of Babar Azam, during the last T20 World Cup in 2022 but lost to England in the final match. They earlier won the tournament in 2009 under Younis Khan. In 2010, 2012, and 2021, Pakistan reached the last-four stage, as per the Pakistan Cricket Board.

The team will play its first T20 World Cup match on June 6 against the U.S. in Texas, before facing India on June 9 at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium in New York in one of the most awaited matches of the tournament. Pakistan will also be playing against Canada in New York and against Ireland in Florida.

Learn the game: Cricket rules and scoring explained

2024 ICC T20 World Cup Squad for Pakistan

The main squad, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board, includes:

• Babar Azam (Captain)

• Saim Ayub

• Mohammad Rizwan

• Fakhar Zaman

• Usman Khan

• Shadab Khan

• Azam Khan

• Imad Wasim

• Iftekhar Ahmed

• Abrar Ahmed

• Abbas Afridi

• Mohammad Amir

• Naseem Shah

• Shaheen Afridi

• Haris Rauf

No reserve players have been announced.

How many players does each squad have?

A cricket team has 11 players that are divided into the wicketkeeper, batters, bowlers and all-rounders. Each team also has a given number of reserve players. However, only 11 players can be on the field at any given time.

Which countries are participating in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup?

Countries participating in the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup include:

• India

• Pakistan

• Ireland

• USA

• Canada

• England

• Australia

• Namibia

• Scotland

• Oman

• New Zealand

• West Indies

• Afghanistan

• Uganda

• Papua New Guinea

• South Africa

• Sri Lanka

• Bangladesh

• Netherlands

• Nepal

'We can’t wait': Timelapse video shows New York cricket stadium inching closer to completion

What to know about the 2024 T20 World Cup

Fifty-five matches will be played across nine cities – three in the U.S. and six in the Caribbean, according to the ICC, with the opening match between Canada and the U.S. to be held on June 1 at Grand Prairie Stadium in the Dallas metro area, and the grand finale on June 29 in Barbados. The semifinals will take place in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana.

England enters the year as defending champions, having beaten Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup final in Melbourne. The series will mark U.S., Canada and Uganda's first appearances at a Men's T20 World Cup.

Meanwhile, as anticipation for the tournament builds, the ICC announced eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh and Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi as ambassadors for the T20 World Cup 2024.

What to expect from the T20 World Cup? Tournament director says cricket matches will be 'very, very exciting'

Tickets

General tickets for the 2024 T20 World Cup matches in both the U.S. and the West Indies are available to purchase on the tournament website. While tickets for popular matches, such as the opening match between the U.S. and Canada and the highly anticipated Pakistan vs. India have sold out, tickets for other matches continue to be available on a first-come-first-serve basis. A limited number of hospitality packages for all matches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium and other stadiums in the U.S. are also available. To avail them, visit tickets.t20worldcup.com or email hospitality@t20worldcup.com.

$40,000 cricket tickets: T20 World Cup, Pakistan-India demand, drives skyrocketing prices

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pakistan squad for 2024 ICC T20 World Cup unveiled: See the list