Pakistan Announce Squad For Test Series Against England; 2 New Names Included

Pakistan has named an 18-player squad for its three ICC World Test Championship matches against England in December. Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed and fast bowler Mohammad Ali have received their first Test calls-ups as a result of their outstanding first-class performances. 

The other two players who have returned to the Pakistan team are Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Zahid Mehmood, who were both a part of the Test squad for the three Tests against Australia earlier this year. 

Abrar Ahmed And Mohammad Ali Rewarded For Strong Domestic Performance

Abrar, 24, is on fire in the currently running Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Abrar had taken 43 wickets at an average of 21.95 before the final round began on Sunday (20 November). In six games, he has taken five five-wicket hauls, and he has been a key factor in elevating his team’s chances of reaching the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final. 

Mohammad Ali of Central Punjab has been the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy’s best fast bowler for the past two seasons, taking 56 wickets. The most for a fast bowler in the first-class season is his 24 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls, at 25.54 in six games. In eight games in 2021–2022, he took 32 wickets at a strike rate of 22.78, which was a fast bowler record. 

Pakistan squad for England Tests: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Zahid Mehmood  

Veteran Players Dropped From Pakistani Team

The team has undergone four changes since Pakistan’s most recent Test match, which was played in Sri Lanka and finished in a 1-1 tie in the two-match series. Hasan Ali, Fawad Alam, Yasir Shah, and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the four players who aren’t on the team. 

Shaheen was not eligible for selection after undergoing appendix surgery on Sunday. He will need three to four weeks of recovery time before starting his two-week right knee rehabilitation programme again. 

Fawad got 25 runs in his lone Test against Sri Lanka while managing 33 runs in four innings of three Tests earlier this year against Australia. Yasir Shah picked up nine wickets in Sri Lanka but has only taken 14 wickets in seven Quaid-e-Azam Trophy games so far. Hasan Ali collected five wickets in his most recent four Tests against Australia and Sri Lanka. 

The three Tests are part of the ICC World Test Championship and are scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi (1-5 December), Multan (9-13 December) and Karachi (17-21 December).

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