Pakistan team – Naseem Shah is back, Saud Shakeel is vice-captain for Bangladesh series

In the squad that toured Australia earlier this year, Imam-ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan did not make it this time, while Hasan Ali and Mohammad Wasim were injured.

Hurraira, 22, averages 56.24 in 39 first-class matches which recently saw him score 218 against Bangladesh A in his only match last month. In the 2022-23 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Huraira scored 1024 runs (the only batsman to score more than 1000 runs) in 11 games for North. In the 2023-24 season, he scored another 961 runs in 14 matches for Faisalabad Region and Higher Education Commission (HEC). He was part of the Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka in July 2023 but did not get a game as Pakistan won the series 2-0.

The Pakistan team will begin training camp from August 11 in Rawalpindi under head coach Jason Gillespie and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, while the Bangladesh team will arrive in Islamabad on August 17. The two Tests, which are part of the World Test Championship, will be played from August 21 to 25 in Rawalpindi and August 30 to September 3 in Karachi.

The selectors have also named Pakistan Shaheen’s squad for the first four-dayer against Bangladesh A, whose revised dates are expected to be announced soon. Shakeel will lead the A team which will include Naseem, Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Hurraira, Saim Ayub and Sarfaraz Ahmed and others. The Shaheens will start training on Wednesday under coach Umar Gul. Gillespie and Mahmood will help Gul before moving on to the national team camp. Once the four-day match is over, the eight Test prospects will join the main Test squad and the selectors will name the Shaheens’ replacements for the remaining matches.

Given the political upheaval and unrest in Bangladesh, the BCB had to postpone their team’s departure to Pakistan by 48 hours.

“PCB is in touch with Bangladesh Cricket Board and it is expected that the revised schedule of Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh ‘A’ series will be announced soon,” said a PCB release on Wednesday while announcing the teams.

Pakistan Team For Bangladesh Test Series

Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal (under fitness), 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), Shaheen Shah Afridi

Pakistan Shaheen team in the first match against Bangladesh A

Saud Shakeel (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rameez Jnr, Mohammad Huraira, Naseem Shah, Saad Baig (wk), Saad Khan, Saim Ayub, Sameen Gul, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Umar Amen