Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named the national Test squad for the upcoming series in Sri Lanka and the announcement revealed that Shaheen Shah Afridi returned to the side as well on June 17, 2023.
The squad has been designed keeping in mind the conditions that the team will encounter in Sri Lanka. The team boasts four spinners, four fast bowlers, six specialist batters, and two keeper-batters.
The squad will be led by Babar Azam, who will have the services of fellow stars like Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Hasan Ali, and Naseem Shah available at his disposal.
Pakistan has also decided to include two uncapped players in the squad, with batter Mohammad Huraira and all-rounder Aamir Jamal getting call-ups.
But for Babar, the return of the star left-handed pacer, Shaheen is the most significant boost.
He last played Test cricket in July 2022 and had suffered a knee injury in Sri Lanka, but was now included in the 16-member Pakistan Test squad. Shaheen currently has 99 wickets from 25 Tests at an average of 24.86.
“I am very excited to be returning to the Pakistan Test side after a year. I dearly missed Test cricket and it was tough for me to be away from this format. After missing our entire home season because of the injury I suffered in Sri Lanka, I am eager to make an impactful comeback in the same country and complete a century of wickets in Test cricket. I want to thank my fans who have provided me support in tough times and I am ready for the challenges ahead,” Shaheen told Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan will assemble in Karachi on July 3 for preparations ahead of their departure on July 9, with the tour schedule expected to be announced soon. And these two Tests are part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.
Pakistan squad:
Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (VC- WK), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-Ul-Haq, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi, and Shan Masood
