Pakistan vs New Zealand 2018: Pakistan Announces 12-Member Squad for the Third Test

Pakistan Cricket Team have announced their 12-man squad for the upcoming third and the final Test against New  Zealand starting from December 3 (Monday) at Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, Pakistan bounced back in style to level the series after losing the first Test in a close encounter by four runs. In a bid to win the series, Pakistan have named young fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, who is likely to make his debut. However, they will miss the service of Mohammad Abbas who suffered a shoulder injury during the second Test.

Shaheen, who impressed during the U19 World Cup earlier this year, has taken giant strides in the limited-overs cricket. And now, he will look to replicate his effort in the longest format of the game against the Kiwis. The Black Caps found it hard to tackle him in the limited-overs leg and the Pakistan management will look to make it count.

Furthermore, Pakistan have also included Faheem Ashraf in their 12-member squad indicating that they can field three pacers considering the nature of the pitch. The hosts will also want their spinner, Yasir Shah, to continue his form, who single-handedly packed New Zealand in the second Test with 14 wickets.

However, they will want their batters to rise up to the occasion with the likes Babar Azam, Harris Sohail expected to score runs in the middle-order. Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed will also want to make his presence felt with the bat and help his side clinch the series 2-1.

Pakistan’s 12-man squad: 

Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk), Bilal Asif, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Yasir Shah, Faheem Ashraf.