Pakistan’s Rawalpindi Test against Bangladesh is scheduled to take place from the 7th to the 11th of February, 2019. So, here is a look at a few takeaways after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced 19 probables for the game.
So, Who Got Selected?
PCB as of now has retained all 16 players who were selected for the Test series against Sri Lanka and have added three additional players to take the count to 19. Those who were selected include Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Bilal Asif, Fawad Alam, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan Senior, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah and Usman Shinwari.
Who Is Likely To Miss Out
Considering Haris Sohail’s poor form and the fact that Pakistan are looking forward to adding an all-rounder to their Test playing eleven; there is every possibility of Haris missing out in the final 16 with either Faheem Ashraf or Bilal Asif coming in his place.
On the other hand, Waqar Younis has been working closely with Musa Khan. Hence, Usman Khan Shinwari or Imran Khan (senior) might make way if the support staff decides to give the youngster another opportunity at the Test level.
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Can There Be A Causality or Two
Misbah-ul-Haq has shown this tendency of surprising everyone with his selection methods. Hence, it shouldn’t surprise us if he decides to drop Fawad Alam (without giving him an opportunity) and retains the out-of-form Haris Sohail.
Moreover, Imam-ul-Haq hasn’t shown good form of late and even though you still expect him to be part of squad; Misbah might opt for the surprise option by dropping him for Pakistan’s Rawalpindi Test Against Bangladesh.