Pakistan Test squad for Bangladesh tour announced, Sarfaraz Ahmed appointed new red-ball coach

Published - 18 Apr 2026, 10:46 AM | Updated - 18 Apr 2026, 11:30 AM

Pakistan Test squad announced. Image Credit: X

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has, on Saturday (April 18), announced a new-look 16-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh. The Pakistan selectors have added a number of surprising new faces to 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 that 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 May 8.

The second and final Test will be held at the 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 make bold 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-ever Test call-ups.

Surprisingly, Mohammad Rizwan was retained as the wicketkeeper-batter in the squad despite heavy scrutiny over his place in the Test team due to his poor form. In another bold move, former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has been appointed as the new red-ball coach.

Apart from Sarfaraz’s appointment, Asad Shafiq and Umar Gul have also been handed 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 Luden remains Pakistan's strength and conditioning coach.

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PCB axes several players; PSL 2026 players to join red-ball camp on April 27

Meanwhile, several players who were part of the last Test series in South Africa have been dropped from the Test side. Players like Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Faisal Akram, Kamran Ghulam, and Rohail Nazir have been dropped from the squad.

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: “The players will undergo a camp in Karachi and will assemble on Monday, 27 April. The camp will conclude on 1 May, with the players scheduled to fly to Bangladesh on 2 May. Players who are part of the Test squad and are currently taking part in HBL PSL Xl will join the camp following the conclusion of their team’s campaign. Players whose teams qualify for the final will depart for Bangladesh after the conclusion of the tournament.”