Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday (April 18) named former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed as the Test team head coach for the upcoming Bangladesh series.

Pakistan’s Test side has largely functioned under interim arrangements, with Aaqib Javed and Mahmood sharing responsibilities after the PCB and Jason Gillespie parted ways in 2024 over differences related to selection matters.

Sarfaraz’s appointment comes after he recently served the Pakistan U19 team as mentor cum manager, winning the ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup. He also held a similar position at Pakistan Shaheens against the England Lions.

As part of a major restructuring of its coaching staff, the PCB also confirmed Asad Shafiq as the batting coach and Umar Gul as the bowling coach.

Meanwhile, Shan Masood has been retained as the captain of the Test side, which includes senior players such as Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi. Four uncapped players namely Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais and Muhammad Ghazi Ghori also feature in the squad.

The two-Test series, part of the WTC 2025-2027 cycle, is slated to get underway on May 8 in Dhaka. The second Test will be played in Sylhet from May 16 to 20.

The players will assemble in Karachi for a preparatory red-ball camp, starting April 27. The camp will run until May 1 and the team will depart for Bangladesh on May 2.

Players part of the Test squad currently involved in the PSL 2026 will join the camp following the conclusion of their respective team's campaign. Players whose teams qualify for the PSL final—scheduled for May 3—will fly to Bangladesh after the tournament concludes.

Pakistan squad for Bangladesh Test tour: Shan Masood (c), Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.