Chief selector Wahab Riaz Monday introduced an 18-member Pakistan Take a look at squad for the tour to Australia comprising three matches scheduled from December 14, 2023, to January 7, 2024.
This can be Wahab’s first project since he took cost of the nationwide males’s choice committee final week, whereas the identical applies to Shan Masood — who was picked as captain after Babar Azam resigned.
Masood has been named Pakistan’s captain for the ICC World Take a look at Championship 2023-25 cycle after taking up the reins from Babar following a humiliating World Cup marketing campaign.
Wahab Riaz, in his maiden press convention as chief selector, stated pacer Haris Rauf had assured the cricket board that he would play Take a look at cricket for the nationwide aspect, however yesterday, he knowledgeable the administration that he doesn’t need to be a part of this sequence.
“It is important to inform you about this because people should have clarity about what’s goining on,” Riaz instructed journalists, highlighting that Rauf had issues about whether or not he would have health points if he partook within the tour.
“We have tried facilitating him in every way. Even if he failed in this tour, I was ready to accept it. Our fitness consultant told us that he [Rauf] would not have any issues moving forward.”
“We could have managed the issues but he pulled out at the last moment. I believe this will be a set back to Pakistan,” the chief selector defined.
Left-handed opening batter Saim Ayub has earned his maiden call-up to the Take a look at staff after a formidable run within the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24.
The 22-year-old scored 553 runs in 4 matches for Karachi Whites and had three centuries to his title, together with a match-winning double-century in opposition to Faisalabad within the ultimate of the match. He continued his type within the Pakistan Cup (one-day match), the place he was named the perfect batter of the match, ending because the competitors’s highest run-getter.
Proper-arm quick bowler Khurram Shahzad has additionally been awarded his maiden Take a look at call-up, on the again of a profitable home season so far.
The 23-year-old was the best wicket-taker of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24 with 36 wickets in eight matches at a median of 20.31 and picked up 13 wickets at 16.62 within the not too long ago concluded Pakistan Cup.
Tempo bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf, who final appeared in Assessments for Pakistan throughout England’s tour of Pakistan in late 2022 has returned to the squad.
Left-arm pacer Mir Hamza, who registered 32 wickets at 20.88 in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24, and right-arm pacer Mohammad Wasim Jnr are making a return to the squad as effectively.
The 2 quick bowlers have been a part of Pakistan’s squad throughout New Zealand’s tour of Pakistan that befell from December 2022 to January 2023.
Chief selector Wahab Riaz, reflecting on the squad chosen for the Australia tour, stated: “The squad has been assembled holding in thoughts the difficult Australian circumstances.
We’ve stored the pitches in thoughts and added extra tempo bowling sources to the staff to make sure that the administration might be versatile with the staff combos in all three Take a look at matches.”
“Saim Ayub has been added to the squad after the extraordinary home season he has had this yr. He has impressed with the bat in the course of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy and Pakistan Cup, pushing the case for his choice. His inclusion will strengthen our stable batting line-up.
“Pakistan has started off the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 really well, after their success in Sri Lanka earlier this year. We hope that the team can carry this momentum ahead in Australia as well. We have tried to ensure that the team has all relevant resources to find success in Australia.”
The squad will assemble in Rawalpindi on November 22 for a coaching camp forward of the tour.
The camp is scheduled to run from November 23 to 28 at Pindi Cricket Stadium. The staff will fly out on November 30 from Lahore.
Some extra gamers have additionally been invited to function within the coaching camp. The gamers known as for the camp are Arshad Iqbal, Kashif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usama Mir, and Usman Qadir.
SquadShan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Pakistan tour of AustraliaFirst Take a look at: December 14-18, Perth Stadium
Second Take a look at: December 26-30, MCG
Third Take a look at: January 3-7, SCG
