Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed has been ruled out of the first Test against Australia on December 14. Abrar sustained an injury during the four-day warm-up game against Prime Ministers XI. While he has not been ruled out for the entire Test series, right-arm off-spinner Sajid Khan has been called up.
A press release from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revealed the decision to rule out Abrar from the first Test after an MRI scan on the same day as he got injured. However, he will travel with the squad for the Perth Test starting on December 14. He will start his rehabilitation under the supervision of the medical staff.
Abrar bowled a total of 27 overs and picked up one wicket while conceding 80 runs. His only wicket was Marcus Harris who scored 49 runs.
Sajid was called after the chairman of the selection committee Wahab Riaz approved the request from the team management.
The 30-year-old made his last Test appearance against Australia in March 2022. Sajid picked up just one wicket in Lahore and went for plenty of runs as Australia won the match by 115 runs. Sajid has been called after making an impact in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with 18 wickets from six games.
In the Perth Test, the Shan Masood-led side is likely to include left-arm spinner Noman Ali in the side. Noman picked up a seven-fer in Pakistan's win by an innings and 222 runs against Sri Lanka in July 2023. If they decide to not include Noman, Agha Salman may pitch in with a few overs. So far, he has nine wickets from as many Test appearances.
Pakistan Test squad: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Agha Salman, Saim Ayub, Noman Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Sajid Ali
Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner
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