Pakistan announces squad for Test series against Australia

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced 16 players and five reserves for the three Tests against Australia, which will be played in Rawalpindi (March4-8), Karachi (March 12-16) and Lahore (March 21-25).

Pakistan squad for Test series against Australia announced #PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/j4O93DhbjR

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 9, 2022

Test players who are not involved in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 will assemble in Karachi on Wednesday, February 16, for a training camp that will be held at the National Stadium.

From the series against Bangladesh, three changes have been made in the national squad.

Haris Rauf, who was in the side for South Africa and Zimbabwe Tests in 2021, has returned to replace off-spinner Bilal Asif, while Shan Masood, who last played in New Zealand in the 2020-21 season, has taken over from Abid Ali, who is completing his rehabilitation after being diagnosed with Acute Coronary Syndrome. Yasir Shah has been added to the reserve pool.

Chief selector Muhammad Wasim in a statement said: “We have opted for consistency for the important home series against Australia and changes have only been made where absolutely necessary. This is to give the boys confidence, reward them for their impressive performances in the longer version of the game in 2021 and continue to build the side for the future.”

“These are the best available, most talented and in-form players in the domestic circuit. I am confident they will put up an impressive performance against a formidable Australia side,” he added.

Test squad:

Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hassan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, and Zahid Mahmood.

Reserves players selected for the tour are Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Yasir Shah.

Cricket Australia announced the full-strength squad for Pakistan tour on Tuesday. While squads for the limited-overs matches that will follow the Tests are yet to be named, the fact that no Test players have pulled out is a vote of confidence for the tour.