The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 15-member squad for the first Test of the upcoming three-match series against England. The Men in Green are set to face the Three Lions at home in Tests starting from October 7 in Multan.
Shan Masood has been retained as the Test skipper, while there is a re-entry of a 37-year-old spinner in the team. Pakistan have called in left-arm spinner Noman Ali in the squad for the opening Test. Noman comes in place of the injured fast bowler Khurram Shahzad. The left-arm spinner has played 15 Tests and has 47 wickets to his name.
The players part of the squad will be withdrawn from the ongoing Champions One-Day Cup, the PCB said in a statement. "Following the squad announcement and based on the recommendation of head coach Jason Gillespie, the selected players have been withdrawn from the Champions One-Day Cup playoffs to allow them some rest ahead of the series. The squad will assemble in Multan on Monday, 30 September, with the training camp commencing on 1 October," PCB wrote in a statement.
Notably, spin-bowling all-rounder Kamran Ghulam and speedster Mohammad Ali, both of who were part of the Bangladesh Tests are not in the team "Kamran Ghulam and Mohammad Ali, who were part of the squad for the Bangladesh Tests, remain firmly in the selectors’ plans. However, due to the selection policy's emphasis on consistency and continuity, and the belief that 15 players are sufficient for a Test, they have been advised and encouraged to continue representing their teams in the Champions One-Day Cup and the President’s Cup, starting on 3 October, to ensure they stay match-ready through competitive cricket," the PCB statement further read.
Speaking on the squad, red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie expressed his excitement for the England series. "With a busy domestic and international cricket schedule, it makes sense to give our players some much-needed rest ahead of the Test series against England. We are very much looking forward to the series against England here in Pakistan and cannot wait for it to begin. We are excited about playing in front of our wonderful supporters," Gillespie said.
Pakistan squad for first Test against England:
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
