Sports Bulletin Report
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday announced a 15-player squad for the two ICC World Test Championship Tests against the West Indies, scheduled to be played in Multan from 17-21 January and 25-29 January.
The squad features seven changes from the 15-member Test team that toured South Africa. The retained players are: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan, Noman Ali and Salman Ali Agha.
To strengthen the spin department, off-spinner Sajid Khan and mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed have been recalled to partner with left-arm spinner Noman Ali. As part of workload management, the pace quartet of Aamir Jamal, Mohammad Abbas, Mir Hamza and Naseem Shah has been rested. In their place, the selectors have retained Khurram Shahzad, but recalled Mohammad Ali and included uncapped Kashif Ali.
Openers Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Huraira have also been brought back, replacing an injured Saim Ayub and an out-of-form Abdullah Shafique.
In the absence of wicketkeeper-batter Haseebullah, who sustained a split in his right-hand webbing during the Cape Town Test and requires two more weeks to fully recover, former Pakistan U19 and Shaheens captain Rohail Nazir has been added to the squad.
Pakistan squad for the West Indies Tests:
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Kashif Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper/batter), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper/batter), Sajid Khan, and Salman Ali Agha.
