Pakistan on Wednesday (August 7) announced their 17-member squad for their upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home.

Shan Masood was retained as captain for the series while Saud Shakeel was promoted to the role of vice-captain.

Shakeel will take over the deputy responsibilities from Shaheen Afridi as part of the selectors’ strategic decision that is aimed at managing the left-arm pacer’s workload during the period from 21 August 2024 to 5 April 2025, in which Pakistan are scheduled to play nine Tests, 14 T20Is and, at least, 17 ODIs.

Of the 17 players picked for the first Test series of the 2024-25 season, 13 players were involved in Pakistan’s last series against Australia.

Mohammad Huraira, Kamran Ghulam and Mohammad Ali are the new inductees for their consistent performances in domestic cricket as well as for Pakistan Shaheens, while Naseem Shah made a return to the red-ball side after a gap of 13 months.

Imam-ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali (injured), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr (injured), Noman Ali and Sajid Khan were the players who failed to retain their places in the Test side.

The series is set to get underway in Rawalpindi on August 21, with the second Test scheduled to be held in Karachi from August 30.

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal (subject to Fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper) and Shaheen Shah Afridi