Pakistan have announced their XI for the first Test against Australia which starts on December 14 in Perth. Two players will be making their debuts.
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Pakistan have named an all-seam attack for the Perth Test against Australia, with fast bowlers Khurram Shahzad and Aamer Jamal all set to make their Test debuts.
Following lead Test spinner Abrar Ahmed’s injury in the warm-up game against the Prime Minister’s XI, Pakistan had a decision to make regarding their bowling combination.
They had the option of going with left-arm spinner Noman Ali, but have instead opted to not choose a frontline spinner, with Agha Salman being trusted to deliver a few overs of off-spin if required.
Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead their bowling attack, accompanied by seam-bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf. The main story from the XI, however, is the selection of Khurram Shahzad and Aamer Jamal.
Shahzad is a 24-year-old right-arm seamer who is yet to play international cricket for Pakistan, while Jamal has played four T20Is for his national team.
Jamal is the more experienced of the two at 27 years of age, and is also handy with the bat as his first-class batting average of 20.58 reflects. With the ball, Jamal has picked 76 first-class wickets at an average of 32.57 while Shahzad has taken 136 first-class wickets at 29.24.
Pakistan’s batting order bears a settled look, with Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq continuing as the incumbent openers. New captain Shan Masood will slot in at No.3 followed by former captain Babar Azam, while Saud Shakeel and Sarfaraz Ahmed will most likely bat at No.5 and 6 respectively. Mohammad Rizwan has not found a place.
Pakistan have played five Test matches in Perth so far and have lost all five. However, this will be their first Test at the new Optus Stadium. Their last Test match in this city came almost 20 years back in 2004 when Inzamam-ul-Haq was their captain.
The first of the three Tests starts tomorrow (December 14) at 10:30 am local time.
Pakistan XI for Perth Test vs Australia
Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Agha Salman, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad
🚨 Playing XI for first Test 🚨
Aamir Jamal and Khurram Shahzad are set to make their Test debut 👏#AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/4GqRRKZC6J
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 13, 2023
