Pakistan announce 18-member squad for Australia Test series
What's the story
Pakistan Cricket Board announced their 18-member squad for the upcoming Test series against Australia, which will start from December 14.
This will be chief selector Wahab Riaz and newly-appointed Test captain Shan Masood's first assignment.
There are some new faces along with many usual suspects who have been with the team for some time now.
Here we decode Pakistan's squad for the Test series.
Shan Masood
Masood's first assignment as captain
After Pakistan failed in the 2023 World Cup, Babar Azam has given up captaincy and Masood has been appointed as Pakistan's new red-ball captain.
The batter made his Test debut a decade ago against South Africa in Abu Dhabi.
But he was in and out of the team until returning to the setup last year.
He has captained Yorkshire in the past.
Squad
A look at the Pakistan squad
Pakistan's 18-member squad for Australia Tests: Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Afridi.
Saim Ayub
Saim Ayub rewarded for his amazing domestic form
Talented youngster Saim Ayub has received his maiden Test call-up after he had a tremendous year in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy followed by the Pakistan Cup.
He scored 553 runs in four matches for Karachi Whites and had three centuries to his name while slamming a match-winning double-century against Faisalabad in the final.
He was the best batter in the Pakistan Cup with 397 runs.
Khurram Shahzad
Khurram Shahzad also earns maiden Test call-up
Just like Ayub, Khurram Shahzad was also rewarded for his exceptional domestic season.
The 23-year-old returned as the highest wicket-taker in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24 with 36 wickets in eight matches at an average of 20.31 and scalped 13 wickets at 16.62 in the recently concluded Pakistan Cup.
The right-arm speedster's consistent performances have helped him earn his maiden Test call-up for Pakistan.
Return
Faheem, Hamza and Waseem Jr. return to the Test set-up
Faheem has returned to the team after he last appeared in the longest format when England were touring Pakistan in 2022.
Left-arm pacer Hamza has also made a comeback after he scalped 32 wickets at 20.88 in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24.
Wasim Jr. has also returned to the red ball set-up.
The two seamers last played in Tests during NZ's tour of Pakistan (2022-23).
Information
Naseem Shah continues to remain on the sidelines
Star Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah, who missed the 2023 ODI World Cup due to an injury to his right shoulder. will also be sidelined for the Australia Test series. Some reports suggest that Naseem may even miss the upcoming Pakistan Super League.
Verdict
Here's what Chief Selector Wahab Riaz had to say
"The squad has been assembled keeping in mind the challenging Australian conditions. We have kept the pitches in mind and added more pace bowling resources to the team to ensure that the management can be flexible with the team combinations in all three Test matches," Riaz stated.
"Saim Ayub has been added to the squad after the extraordinary domestic season," he added.
Schedule
A look at the schedule of the Test series
The three-match Test series will commence on December 14 with the first Test being held in Perth. It will run till December 18.
The second test or the famous Boxing Day Test will start on December 26 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Finally, the last Test match will be held from 3-7 January 2024 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.