PAK vs BAN: Sarfaraz Ahmed becomes head coach of Pakistan, 4 new players get chance for Bangladesh test series

Pakistan Cricket Team: Pakistan cricket team announced its 16-member squad for the 2-Test series against Bangladesh next month. The biggest news of this series is that former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was made the new head coach of the team. Sarfaraz, who recently retired from international cricket, will now be seen in a new role with the team.

Four new players were given a chance in the team, who have not yet debuted in Test cricket. These include Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azaan Awais and Ghazi Ghori. Although Ghori has international experience, he played an ODI in Mirpur last month.

Shan Masood will captain
The captaincy of the team will once again be in the hands of Shan Masood. But this time the coaching staff with him will look completely new. Apart from Sarfaraz, former Test cricketer Asad Shafiq has been made batting coach and Umar Gul has been made bowling coach. The international experience of all three players can prove beneficial for the team.

Pakistan won the Champions Trophy under the captaincy of Sarfaraz.
Sarfaraz Ahmed’s cricket career has been quite brilliant. Under his captaincy, Pakistan won the Champions Trophy in 2017. Recently he also worked as a mentor/manager with Pakistan Shaheens. Asad Shafiq is known for his performance in Test cricket, where he has scored 4660 runs in 77 matches. Umar Gul has played a total of 237 matches in all three formats and taken 427 wickets.

Five players of the team – Azaan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Ghazi Ghori, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, are currently part of the red-ball conditioning camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. The remaining players, whose teams are currently busy with the Pakistan Super League 2026, will join the team after the end of their campaign.

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board, the team will start the camp in Karachi from April 27, which will continue till May 1. After this the team will leave for Bangladesh on May 2. Players who will play in the PSL final (May 3) will join the team directly after that.

This two-match Test series will be played in Dhaka from 8 to 12 May and in Sylhet from 16 to 20 May. The team also includes experienced players like Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan, who will give balance to the team. Overall, Pakistan has chosen a mix of experience and young players for this series. Now it remains to be seen what kind of success the new coaching staff and young faces bring to the team in Bangladesh.