Saud Shakeel has been appointed vice-captain as Pakistan reveals their squad for the ICC World Test Championship series against Bangladesh.
Shakeel will step into the vice-captain role previously held by Shaheen Afridi, with selectors indicating that Afridi's workload will be managed due to the team's packed schedule, including nine Tests, 14 T20Is, and at least 17 ODIs until April next year. Shakeel's promotion to vice-captain alongside skipper Shan Masood is a significant change in Pakistan's newly announced 17-player squad, marking the first Test series under head coach Jason Gillespie.
Key changes in the squad include the exclusion of regular opener Imam-ul-Haq, and the absence of Hasan Ali and Mohammad Wasim Jnr due to injury. Notable omissions also include Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Noman Ali, and Sajid Khan. Returning to the squad are pacers Naseem Shah and Mohammad Ali, who have been recalled after a long hiatus from Test cricket. Batters Mohammad Huraira and Kamran Ghulam have also earned call-ups for potential Test debuts following strong performances in domestic cricket.
Out of the 17 players selected, 13 were part of Pakistan's recent Test series in Australia. The fresh faces for the upcoming series against Bangladesh are Huraira, Ghulam, Ali, and Naseem. The series will begin in Rawalpindi on August 21, followed by the second Test in Karachi starting August 30.
Currently fifth in the ICC World Test Championship standings, Pakistan will aim for strong performances against Bangladesh to stay competitive in the championship race.
Pakistan Squad:
- 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 (wk)
- Naseem Shah
- Saim Ayub
- Salman Ali Agha
- Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk)
- Shaheen Afridi
Series Schedule:
- First Test: Rawalpindi, August 21-25
- Second Test: Karachi, August 30 - September 3