Pakistan have made two noteworthy changes to their playing XI for the SCG Test.
Having lost the first two Tests in Perth and Melbourne, Pakistan have already conceded an unassailable 2-0 lead to Australia.
For the final Test of the series, the visitors have decided to not play star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and opener Imam-ul Haq.
Pakistan are set to take the field with a specialist off-spinner as Sajid Khan has replaced Shaheen. All eyes will also be on the 21-year-old Saim Ayub, who has replaced Imam in the playing XI.
While Sajid has taken 22 wickets in seven Tests so far, Saim is yet to make his debut in the longest format of the game. However, the young left-hander has an impressive First-Class record, scoring 1069 runs in 14 matches at an average of 46.47 with three hundreds and as many half-centuries.
Pakistan have not revealed the reason for Shaheen and Imam’s omission from the playing XI. While the left-arm pacer managed to claim two wickets in the Perth Test, he bowled well in the Boxing Day Test match where he picked six scalps across two innings.
On the other hand, Imam returned with scores of 62, 10, 10 and 12 across the four innings of the first two Tests Down Under.
Pakistan's playing XI for Sydney Test: Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (C), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Agha Salman, Mir Hamza, Sajid Khan, Hasan Ali, Aamer Jamal