Pakistan have named a 15-player squad for their opening Test against England in less than two weeks' time, with exciting pace prospect Khurram Shahzad ruled out with injury.
Shahzad will be replaced by Noman Ali in the squad that recently faced Bangladesh. The left-arm spinner has played 15 Tests and taken 47 wickets. The absence of Shahzad is a blow to Pakistan, the 24-year-old took a six-wicket-haul in his last Test match in Rawalpindi, and took nine wickets in the series overall.
Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Ali also left out of Pakistan squad for first England Test
Kamran Ghulam and Mohammad Ali have also not been selected despite their inclusion in the Bangladesh Tests. Ghulam was called up to Pakistan's squad for the second Bangladesh Test but did not feature, while Ali took 2-88 in the first match, but went wicketless in the second.
The PCB outlined the reasoning for the decision by stating both players are "firmly in the selectors' plans" but "due to the selection policy's emphasis on consistency and continuity, and the belief that 15 players are sufficient for a Test, they have been advised and encouraged to continue representing their team in the Champions One-Day Cup" and "ensure they stay match ready through competitive cricket".
A statement from the PCB announcing the squad stated that the selected players will be withdrawn from the Champions Cup playoffs to allow them to rest ahead of the series. It will be a blow to several of the sides in the knockout games, who have relied on their big-name stars so far in the series. In his last two matches in the competition, Saim Ayub scored an innings of 156 and took 5-24 in the Qualifier. He seemingly will now play no further part in the competition.
Shaheen Shah Afridi called up for first Test against England
Shaheen Afridi has also been selected in the squad, despite appearing to suffer an injury during a Champions Cup game. The pacer looked to have injured his knee after being hit by a delivery from Faheem Ashraf. He initially retired hurt before returning to bat, and looking in considerable pain as he ran between the wickets. Shaheen was also left out of the second Test against Bangladesh, with head coach Jason Gillespie stating he was "working on some things". However, Shaheen asserted that his knee was "fine" in a post-match interview after the Champions Cup game.
The first Test of the series between Pakistan and England will take place in Multan, following a last minute change of venues, and will begin on October 7.
Pakistan squad for first England Test: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi
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