LAHORE: Pakistan dropped opening batter Imam-ul-Haq from their 17-member squad for the upcoming two-match home Test series against Bangladesh, starting from 21 August.
The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) men’s national selection committee announced the squad on Wednesday for the ICC World Test Championship fixtures.
The first Test will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 21-25 August, while the second Test will be held from 30 August-3 September in Karachi.
Meanwhile, the home team’s training camp will commence at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on 11 August and will be supervised by red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood.
The Bangladesh cricket team is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad in the wee hours of 17 August and is expected to train in the same afternoon.
Shan Masood will continue to lead the Test team, while left-handed middle-order batter Saud Shakeel has been appointed as the new vice-captain of Pakistan’s red-ball team.
Saud takes over from Shaheen Shah Afridi as part of the selectors’ strategic decision that is aimed at managing Pakistan’s lead fast bowler’s workload management during a busy season.
It’s worth noting that the Pakistan cricket team is scheduled to play nine Tests, 14 T20Is and, at least, 17 ODIs during the period from 21 August 2024 to 5 April 2025.
Pakistan’s 17-member Test squad for Bangladesh series features 13 players, who were involved in the last series against Australia in December/January 2023-24.
Uncapped Mohammad Huraira and Kamran Ghulam as well as Test player Mohammad Ali have been rewarded for their consistent performances in the domestic circuit as well as for Pakistan Shaheens.
Meanwhile, pace sensation Naseem Shah is returning to the red-ball side after a 13-month hiatus.
Kamran Ghulam aggregated 1,025 runs in 11 first-class matches in the 2023-24 season and then scored 148 runs in three innings against Bangladesh ‘A’ in Darwin last month, including 100 not out in the first match.
He was part of the squad for the home series against New Zealand in December/January 2022-23 but didn’t feature in the drawn two-match series.
Fast bowler Mohammad Ali has been recalled after last featuring in the opening two Tests against England in 2022.
He took 24 wickets in six first-class matches in the 2022-23 season, followed by 47 wickets in 14 first-class matches in the 2023-24 season.
In the two four-day matches against Bangladesh ‘A’ in Darwin, Ali took nine wickets, including six for 63 in the second innings of the second match.
Meanwhile, Huraira stroked a sparkling double-century against Bangladesh ‘A’ in Darwin last month. He also had a stellar last couple of first-class seasons.
In the 2022-23 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Huraira was the only batter to break the 1,000-run barrier, aggregating 1,024 runs in 11 matches for Northern.
In the 2023-24 first-class season, the 22-year-old right-hander scored 961 runs in 14 matches for the Faisalabad Region and Higher Education Commission (HEC).
He was part of the squad for the tour to Sri Lanka in July 2023 but didn’t feature in the series, which Pakistan won by 2-0.
Imam-ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali (injured), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr (injured), Noman Ali and Sajid Khan were the players who failed to retain their places in the Test side.
Imam-ul-Haq managed 57 runs in two Tests against Sri Lanka and then scored 94 runs in the Perth and Melbourne Tests, Faheem took one wicket in the Perth Test, Sajid claimed three wickets in the Sydney Test, while Nawaz and Noman didn’t play in any of the Tests.
Pakistan squad for Test series against Bangladesh
Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal (subject to Fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper) and Shaheen Shah Afridi
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