(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selectors have unveiled the 18-member squad for the upcoming Australia tour, featuring a three-match Test series set to kick off in Perth on December 14. Shan Masood is set to lead the team, marking his debut as captain during the Perth Test.
A notable inclusion in the squad is opening batter Saim Ayub, who showcased exceptional performance in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24 and Pakistan Cup. Ayub, a 22-year-old prodigy, amassed an impressive 553 runs in four matches of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for the Karachi Whites, including three centuries.
Another new face in the squad is right-arm fast bowler Khurram Shahzad, who had an outstanding season in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, claiming 36 wickets in eight matches with an average of 20.31.
Naseem Shah will miss the tour due to injury, and Mohammad Nawaz, who featured against Sri Lanka, failed to secure his place. The rest of the squad remains largely unchanged from the line-up that faced Sri Lanka in July.
Chief selector Wahab Riaz highlighted the meticulous selection process, emphasizing the consideration of Australian conditions. The squad is tailored to the challenging pitches with a focus on bolstering the pace bowling resources to provide flexibility in team combinations for all three Test matches.
“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,” said Wahab as quoted.
“Saim Ayub has been added to the squad after the extraordinary domestic season he has had this year. He has impressed with the bat during the Quaid-e-Azam trophy and Pakistan Cup, pushing the case for his selection. His inclusion will strengthen our solid batting line-up,” he added.
Regarding the exclusion of pacer Haris Rauf, Wahab revealed that the former initially agreed to play but later withdrew, citing concerns about fitness and workload.
“We spoke to Haris Rauf about this tour 2 days ago, and he gave his consent to playing Tests for Pakistan. However, he changed his mind last night and didn’t want to be a part of this Australia Test series. He was worried about fitness issues and workload. We gave him assurances that we will facilitate him and accept any potential failures. Our physio said he has no injury concerns. He is fatigued, but we could have managed him well. However, he pulled out and is unavailable for this tour. I think this could hurt Pakistan cricket,” Wahab concluded.
Pakistan squad for the tour of Australia: Shan Masood (c), 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, Shaheen Shah Afridi