A few weeks ahead of the two-Test series against Bangladesh, Pakistan’s 17-member squad was announced for the two-Test series. While Imam-ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf and others were dropped from the Test squad, Saud Shakeel was named vice-captain in the longest format of the game. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in its official statement said that making Shakeel as Shan Masood’s deputy is a “strategic decision”. The board clarified that Shaheen Afridi was stripped of vice-captaincy to manage his workload ahead of a busy international schedule.
“Saud takes over from Shaheen Shah Afridi as part of the selectors’ strategic decision that is aimed at managing Pakistan’s lead fast bowler’s workload management during the period from 21 August 2024 to 5 April 2025 in which Pakistan is scheduled to play nine Tests, 14 T20Is and, at least, 17 ODIs,” the statement said.
Earlier this year, Shaheen lost T20I captaincy when PCB chairman reinstated Babar Azam as captain in the white-ball formats. There were also reports that Shaheen misbehaved with batting coach Mohammad Yousuf during Pakistan’s tour of England before heading to the Americas for T20 World Cup 2024.
The Test series will begin on August 25 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The second Test commencing on August 30 will be played at National Stadium, Karachi. The two-Test series is a part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-24 cycle. Before the Test series, the players will assemble in the training camp on August 11 where they will meet head coach Jason Gillespie.
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Two uncapped players – Muhammad Hurraira and Kamran Ghulam – have been named in the squad. Ghulam was a part of Test series against New Zealand but is yet to make his Test debut. Also, Aamir Jamal’s participation in the Test series is subject to fitness.
Pakistan’s Test squad vs Bangladesh
Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk) and Shaheen Shah Afridi
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