Pakistan name squads for West Indies, England Test series
What's the story
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced Babar Azam's return as the captain of the Test team. The decision was revealed during a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday. The announcement also included the squads for the upcoming Test tours of West Indies and England. Here are further details.
New faces
New faces in the side
Pakistan have gone with uncapped players are included in the squads. Left-arm spinner Ali Usman, right-handed batter Muhammad Awais Zafar, right-arm fast bowler Ubaid Shah and wicket-keeper-batter Muhammad Ghazi Ghori are all in line for their maiden Test cap. Saud Shakeel, who misses out on the squad for WI Tests, has been selected for Englad series, subject to proving his fitness prior the series.
Babar
Babar reinstated as Pakistan's Test captain
As mentioned, Babar has been named the new captain of Pakistan's Test cricket team, taking over from Shan Masood. This will be Babar's second stint as Test captain, having previously led the team in 20 matches until 2023. Masood's tenure as Test captain was marred by a series of defeats. He led Pakistan in 16 Tests, losing 12 of them. This is the worst start for any captain in Test history, with no one losing 12 of their first 16 Tests before.
Director's insight
Aqib Javed explains reasons behind the decision
Aqib Javed, Pakistan's high-performance director, revealed that the repetitive nature of defeats and throwing away winning positions were key factors in their decision to change the captaincy. He said Masood's performance was good but as a captain, he couldn't deliver the desired results. "We wanted to look for a captain who comes in and leads the team better," said Javed.
WI vs PAK
Pakistan squad for West Indies Test series
Pakistan squad for West Indies Tests: Babar Azam (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah
ENG vs PAK
Pakistan squad for England Test series
Pakistan squad for England Tests: Babar Azam (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness), Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah
Schedule
Here is the schedule
1st WI Test: July 25-29, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba. 2nd WI Test: August 2-6, Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Port of Spain. 1st ENG Test: August 19-23, Leeds. 2nd ENG Test: August 27-31, Lord's. 3rd ENG Test: September 9-13, Birmingham.