Karachi, September 25 (HS). Pakistan has announced its team for the first Test against England at home, in which left-arm spinners Noman Ali and Aamir Jamal have returned.
Noman has played a total of 15 Tests for Pakistan, taking 47 wickets. The 37-year-old veteran played his last match in July 2023. Khurram Shahzad's injury has cleared the way for Aamir Jamal to return to the Pakistan team. The fast-bowling all-rounder, who has a back problem of his own, was impressive on the Australian tour last year but has not played red-ball cricket since then. However, he recently made a comeback in the Champions Cup.
The selectors have left out Kamran Ghulam and Mohammad Ali from the 17-member squad picked to play against Bangladesh recently. The selectors confirmed that both players will remain in their plans, but in a statement they said that “the selection policy emphasizes stability and continuity, and the belief is that 15 players are sufficient for a Test, so they have been advised and encouraged to continue representing their teams in the Champions One-Day Cup and Presidents Cup.”
The players selected for the series have been dropped from the Champions One-Day Cup playoffs to ensure they get adequate rest ahead of the Test series.
Head coach Jason Gillespie said, “With a busy domestic and international cricket schedule, it is prudent to give our players some much-needed rest ahead of the Test series against England. We are very much looking forward to the series against England in Pakistan and cannot wait for it to get started. We are excited to play in front of our wonderful supporters.”
The team will assemble in Multan on September 30 and the training camp will begin from October 1. The first Test is scheduled to begin on October 7.
Pakistan squad is as follows: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi.
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