The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday (April 18) announced a new 16-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh. Pakistan selectors have included several surprising new faces in the Test squad for the upcoming Bangladesh tour.
The Bangladesh national cricket team is all set to host the Pakistan national cricket team in a two-match Test series next month, which is part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). The first WTC Test match will be played at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium from 8 May.
The second and final Test will be held at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium from May 16. Now, for this important tour, the PCB announced the squad on Saturday as they aim to make a strong comeback after losing the ODI series to Bangladesh earlier this year.
Pakistan made major changes for Bangladesh tour
Shan Masood will continue to lead the Pakistan national cricket team in the longest format, but the biggest highlight of this announcement is the inclusion of four uncapped players. Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais and Muhammad Ghazi Ghori have all received their first Test call-ups.
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Surprisingly, despite heavy scrutiny over his place in the Test team due to his poor form, Mohammad Rizwan was retained in the team as wicketkeeper-batsman. In another bold move, former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has been appointed as the new red-ball coach.
Apart from the appointment of Sarfaraz, Asad Shafiq and Umar Gul have also been assigned the roles of batting and bowling coaches respectively by the PCB for the upcoming Bangladesh tour. Abdul Saad will be the fielding coach while Grant Ludden will remain Pakistan’s strength and conditioning coach.
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Meanwhile, many players who were part of the previous Test series in South Africa have been dropped from the Test team. Players like Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafiq, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Faisal Akram, Kamran Ghulam and Rohail Nazir have been dropped from the team.
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Well, the PCB has confirmed that Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan are currently attending the red-ball training camp at the NCA in Lahore.
The PCB said in an official media release: “Players will undergo a camp in Karachi and assemble on Monday, April 27. The camp will conclude on May 1, with players scheduled to fly to Bangladesh on May 2. Players who are part of the Test squad and are currently participating in the HBL PSL XL will join the camp after the conclusion of their team’s campaign. Players whose teams qualify for the finals will depart for Bangladesh after the conclusion of the tournament. Will do.”
Pakistan Test squad for Bangladesh tour:
Shan Masood (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Aga, Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
