Fawad Alam, Hasan Ali and Yasir Shah were dropped from the 18 member squad for the #PakvsEng home Test series. Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was also expected to be excluded however, the selectors decided to stick with him. Shaheen Afridi on the other hand wasn’t included as he isn’t available owing to reasons relating to fitness.
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#PakvsEng: End of The Road For Fawad Alam & Yasir Shah?
Following the selection committee’s decision yesterday, it seems as if Fawad and Yasir’s international career is over for good. Hasan Ali on the other hand might still make a comeback even though because of the available talent in the fast-bowling department, it might not be possible for him anytime soon.
Chief Selector, Mohd. Wasim while explaining the committee’s decisions said, “Our focus has been on the player’s current form and for this series, we would like to give chances to a new player who has been traveling with the team and scoring runs in the domestic circuit. Obviously because he [Fawad Alam] isn’t scoring runs, we decided to give our new, young boys a chance. Our main theory is to give weightage to the domestic performance and look out if there is a spot available to grab. If there is a settled number for a player scoring runs, you can’t dislodge him and so domestic performers will have to wait. It’s a simple law or way of cricket selection; you can’t unsettle the settled players just for the sake of trying out new players.”
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“Zahid (Mehmood) is another bowler who has been in the plans. He has shown improvement over the years and has been part of the successive squads. We have boosted our fast bowling stocks with the best available talent. There is no doubt about the skills of Mohammad Wasim Jnr. He moves the new and old ball laterally at high pace, which is a huge plus for any side. Mohammad Ali has shown great patience and control, and his numbers speak for his consistency. He has been our best fast bowler in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with 56 wickets at an average of 24 over the last two seasons.”
It is worth to note here that the first Test of the three match series is scheduled to be played at Rawalpindi on December 01, 2022. Owing to political situation in the city however, the match might be moved to Karachi.
The complete 18 member squad for the series is as below.