Pakistan cricket team seems pumped to start their jam-packed Test season as they have announced the final XI two days before the game. This Test match against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will be their first International fixture after they shambolically crashed out of the T20 World Cup in the Americas.
The first tour of their teeming red-ball season is against Bangladesh, who came days early to practice for the bilateral series amidst political instability in their country. Shan Masood, who has only captained Pakistan in one Test tour so far, will lead the team in his first home series as a captain. Likely to come in at the third position, Shan Masood will get the rookie batters, Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub to open the innings. Mohammad Huraira, who was another contender for the opening position was left out of the playing XI, as the management wanted to give more chances to Saim Ayub who was thrown to the wolves with his debut tour against Australia down under. He only got to play one Test match there and would be upbeat to prove his critics wrong on this tour. In at fourth position will come Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam, who has not been moved from the position that he has played in since the end of 2022.
Pakistan’s last two Test tours saw fans debating as to who will get the mits from Mohammad Rizwan and Sarfaraz Ahmed. However, this time Rizwan has been added to the team ahead of Sarfaraz. The wicket-keeper batter will look to replicate his form with the bat and gloves down under. The newly appointed vice-captain Saud Shakeel along with Salman Ali Agha will complete Pakistan’s batting order. After Abrar Ahmed was released from the squad and asked to play the second four-day game against Bangladesh A, Salman’s inclusion became almost definite. The spin all-rounder will be the only tweaker in the Eleven for the men in green.
After a long period of 28 years, it will be the first time that Pakistan will be going without a specialist spinner. This indicates that the Shan Masood-led team will be with four pacers. The pace attack will be led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, with Naseem Shah, Khurram Shehzad and Mohammad Ali joining him in the lethal battle on Rawalpindi’s probable green pitch.
Pace all-rounder, Aamer Jamal, was released from the squad earlier on Monday citing the back injury he picked while playing for Warwickshire in the County Championship a few months ago. The 28-year-old will travel to National Cricket Academy, Lahore to work on his fitness.
The first Test match will begin on August 21 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. It is important to mention here that this series hold an immense significance in Pakistan’s World Test Championship (WTC) final qualifying strategy.
Pakistan Playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh
Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (capt), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel (vice-capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali
