Maaz Sadaqat [Source: AFP]Maaz Sadaqat is aiming to play the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa next year. Yet to fully cement his place in Pakistan’s ODI setup, the 21-year-old has certainly made a strong first impression in T20I cricket.Sadaqat recently concluded Pakistan’s home T20I series against Sri Lanka as the second highest scorer with 146 runs in just three innings at a splendid average of 48.66. Maaz Sadaqat “preparing” himself for World Cup 2027While speaking on the PCB Digital, Pakistan’s rising star Maaz Sadaqat expressed his ambitions of representing his national team at the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October and November next year. The cricketer implied that he is already working towards his 50-overs game in a bid to cement his place in the Pakistan ODI squad, and claimed that he will dedicate his upcoming 15–20-day window towards his training.ALSO READMaaz Sadaqat Almost Breaks Sahibzada Farhan's Historic Feat In PAK Vs SL 2nd T20ISadaqat said “I am targeting the ODI World Cup and I am preparing for it. I have a 15-20-day window coming up which I am going to dedicate to working on myself for the World Cup.”Compatible to Maaz Sadaqat’s claims, the cricketer will indeed have a short window where he can afford to work towards his 50-overs game. Fresh off his explosive T20I series against Sri Lanka, the 21-year-old is not named in Pakistan ODI squad for the upcoming tri-series. He will also likely be excluded from Pakistan squad in their next month’s two-match WTC 2025-27 home Test series against Sri Lanka.Maaz Sadaqat record in List A cricketMaaz Sadaqat made his ODI debut earlier this year during Pakistan’s three-match tour of Bangladesh. While the youngster aggregated 99 runs in three innings of his debut series at an explosive strike rate of 125.31 and with a healthy average of 33, he came up short against Australia at home by scoring just 35 runs in three innings at a dismal average of 11.67.Overall, Sadaqat has charted 1,175 runs in 37 List A games at an average of nearly 35, and has also scalped 22 wickets with the ball. However, it remains to be seen if the Peshawar-born cricketer can solidify his place in Pakistan’s ODI playing XI in time for the multi-nation tournament next year.His big-hitting abilities in the middle and slog overs can certainly come in handy for Pakistan on tough South African surfaces.ALSO READPlenty of Runs But A Middle-Overs Problem for India
