Amidst all the hype pertaining to Australia’s historic tour to Pakistan, they had recently announced their Test squad. On the other hand, Pakistan finally announced their squad for the three-match Test series on Wednesday. This 16-member side shall be battling it out against the Cummins-led team from March 4.
It is to be noted that this will be Australia’s first tour to the Asian nation since 1998. As far as Pakistan’s squad is concerned, Babar Azam is all set to lead the team, with Mohammad Rizwan as his deputy. As this series is a part of the World Test Championship (WTC), both teams would want to emerge victorious.
The notable inclusions are that of Haris Rauf and Shan Masood. While the opener last featured for Pakistan during the Test series against New Zealand in 2021, Rauf is yet to make his Test debut. However, the pacer has been a regular in the shorter formats of the game.
Shaheen Afridi is expected to lead the pace attack. As for the spinners, the PCB has selected Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan. There are five reserve players as well, and they include Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Yasir Shah. In the meanwhile, their chief selector Muhammad Wasim said that the players have been awarded for their consistent performances.
“We have opted for consistency for the important home series against Australia and changes have only been made where absolutely necessary. This is to give the boys confidence, reward them for their impressive performances in the longer version of the game in 2021 and continue to build the side for the future,” said chief selector Muhammad Wasim. Further on, Australia’s Shaun Tait has been announced as the side’s bowling coach.
Pakistan squad for Australia Tests: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, M Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Zahid Mahmood
Reserves: Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Yasir Shah
