Former Pakistan skipper and wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed
Former Pakistan skipper and wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed and veteran left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz have both found spot in Pakistan's 20-man squad announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday for the impeding Test series against England.
Riaz, who last played a Test match for Pakistan in October 2018, had taken an indefinite break from the format last year. But earlier this June, he expressed his desire to make a return to the format. Meanwhile, another veteran pacer, Mohammad Amir, who as well had followed a similar path, has not been included in the 20-man list.
Riaz will join Mohammad Abass, Naseem Shah, Usman Shinwari, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan and Faheem Ashraf in the pace department, while the spin department comprises uncapped Kashif Bhatti, Yasir Shah and Shadab Khan.
Sarfaraz too has found a spot in the team but is likely to remain as a secondary option behind Mohammad Rizwan.
"Meanwhile, the remaining nine players - Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain and Musa Khan - will continue to train with the squad for the T20I series, which will be played at the backend of the Test series," PCB stated in a release.
Pakistan 20-man shortlist: Azhar Ali (c), Babar Azam, Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan Sr, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah
The remaining nine other players from Pakistan's contingent that are in England will remain with the squad in abid to prepare for the T20I series that will follow later.
