Saim, Khurram Shahzad Make To Australia-bound 18-member Test Squad

Charismatic left-handed batter Saim Ayub and fast bowler Khurram Shahzad have secured their maiden call-up to the 18-member Australia-bound test squad to play three-Test rubber against Australia between December 14 and January 4, 2023

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Nov, 2023) Charismatic left-handed batter Saim Ayub and fast bowler Khurram Shahzad have secured their maiden call-up to the 18-member Australia-bound test squad to play three-Test rubber against Australia between December 14 and January 4, 2023

Chief selector Wahab Riaz, while addressing a press conference at the PCB headquarters Gaddafi Stadium on Monday, said that Muhammad Wasim Jr., Faheem Ashraf and Mir Hamza have been recalled to the Test side while Hasan Ali has been selected for his experience and ability.

He further said Saim and Khurram have been selected on the back of their domestic performances.

Chief selector Wahab Riaz told the media that the squad has been selected keeping in mind the challenging Australian conditions. We have kept the pitches in mind and added more pace bowling resources to the team to ensure that the management can be flexible with the team combinations in all three Test matches, he added.

Left-handed opening batter Saim Ayub has earned his maiden call-up to the Test team after an impressive run in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24. The 22-year-old scored 553 runs in four matches for Karachi Whites and had three centuries to his name, including a match-winning double century against Faisalabad in the final of the tournament. He continued his form in the Pakistan Cup (One-Day tournament), where he was named the best batter of the tournament, ending as the competition’s highest run-getter.

Right-arm fast bowler Khurram Shahzad has also been awarded his maiden Test call-up, on the back of a successful domestic season thus far. The 23-year-old was the highest wicket-taker of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24 with 36 wickets in eight matches at an average of 20.

31 and picked up 13 wickets at 16.62 in the recently concluded Pakistan Cup.

He said Shan Masood will lead the side in his first assignment as Test captain. He was named Pakistan's captain for the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle after taking over the reins from Babar Azam last week.

To a question, Wahab said Muhammad Abbas has great record on pitches which help swing, adding that we needed bowlers who could hit the deck hard and produce pace and bounce.

Faheem Ashraf, Mir Hamza and Mohammad Wasim Jr. have returned to the Test-side to make up for the absence of the injured pace-duo of Naseem Shah and Muhammad Hasnain.

Left-arm pacer Mir Hamza, who registered 32 wickets at 20.88 in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24, and right-arm pacer Mohammad Wasim Jnr are making a return to the squad as well. The two fast bowlers were part of Pakistan’s squad during New Zealand’s tour of Pakistan that took place from December 2022 to January 2023.

Wahab Riaz further said that some additional players have been called up for the camp including Arshad Iqbal, Kashif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usama Mir and Usman Qadir. The camp will start on November 23 at the Pindi cricket stadium and last till November 28.

Pakistan squad for Australia Tests: Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Test rubber schedule:

1st Test – Perth, 14-18 December 2023

2nd Test – Melbourne, 26-30 December 2023

3rd Test – Sydney, 3-7 January 2024