A Look At Pakistan’s Australia Bound Test and T20 Squads

Pakistan’s Australia bound Test and T20 squads were announced by chief selector and head coach, Misbah-ul-Haq today. So, here is a look at a few takeaways following the announcement.  

Read: Misbah-ul-Haq Might Surprise Everyone By Bringing Back These Players

So, Who Has Been Selected?

Pakistan’s Test squad includes Azhar Ali (captain), Imamul Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Abid Ali, Shan, Masood, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail,  Imran Khan (Senior), Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Kashif Bhatti and Yasir Shah .

Those selected in the T20 squad on the other hand include Babar Azam (captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Wahab Riaz, Musa Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan, Shadab Khan and Usman Qadir.

Read: Misbah-ul-Haq Is Not Happy With The Attitude Of These Cricketers

No Place For Shehzad, Akmal, Malik, Hasan, Shinwari And Mohd. Hafeez

Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal have once again been dropped while Hasan Ali couldn’t make it to the squad owing to injury concerns. Shoaib Malik and Mohd. Hafeez have been left out because PCB has decided to proceed with a forward looking approach. Moreover, selectors still couldn’t find a place for Fawad Alam in the Test squad and dropped Usman Shinwari across formats for reasons best known to them.

Read: Why Sarfraz Ahmed Should Give Up Captaincy Before The Australian Tour

A Look At The New Faces

Fast bowler Musa Khan has been selected for both T20 and the Test series. Another uncapped cricketer, Naseem Shah has been selected for Test matches only.  Abid Ali too has managed to become part of the Test squad for the first time. Uncapped spinners Kashif Bhatti and Usman Qadir have also been given opportunities in the Test and the T20 squads respectively. Another new comer is hard-hitting batsman Khushdil Shah who has been selected for the T20s only.

Read: Major Developments Expected Before Green Shirts Leave For Australia

Who is Making A Comeback?

Shaheen Shah has made a comeback but perhaps while keeping in mind his workload; he has been selected for the Test matches only. Fast bowler Mohd. Irfan has staged a T20 comeback while Imran Khan senior has done the same at the Test level. Mohd. Rizwan as expected has taken over from Sarfraz Ahmed as Pakistan’s first choice wicket-keeper batsman across formats.

So, have your say and let us know if you agree or disagree with Pakistan’s Australia bound Test and T20 squads.