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Shaheen Shah Afridi has returned to the Pakistan test team next month for the two-match series against Sri Lanka. Also on the 16-man roster are batter Muhammad Huraira and all-rounder Aamer Jamal. It’s a first test call for both.
Of the final Test side, which played a two-match home series against New Zealand in December-January, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahid Mahmood and Kamran Ghulam missed out.
Morne Morkel, meanwhile, has been appointed as the team’s bowling coach on a six-month contract.
Afridi, who is currently at 99 Test wickets, last played in the format in July 2022. That was also against Sri Lanka, at Galle, where he suffered a knee injury. He made a comeback at the T20 World Cup in October, but hurt his knee again in the final. Earlier this year, he led Lahore Qalandars to their second consecutive PSL title. He also played in the subsequent T20I and ODI series against New Zealand, and currently plays the T20 Blast in England where he is the top wicket-taker for Nottinghamshire.
“I am very excited to return to the Pakistan Test side after a year,” said Afridi. “I’ve missed Test Cricket a lot and it was hard for me to be away from this format.
“Having missed our entire home season due to the injury I sustained in Sri Lanka, I am eager to make an impressive comeback in the same country and complete a century of wickets in Test cricket. I want to thank my fans who have supported me through difficult times and I am ready for the challenges ahead.”
Huraira, 21, has been rewarded for his performance in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy; he was the highest run-getter in the previous two seasons. In 24 first-class matches he has 2252 runs at an average of 68.24, with a best of 311 off 343 balls. He was the second youngest triple-centurion in Pakistan after Javed Miandad.
Jamal made his Pakistani debut last year during the T20I series against England. In his very first game, he impressed by defending 14 runs in the last over against Moeen Ali and David Willey.
He was also the leading wicket taker among fast bowlers in the 2022/23 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, with 31 scalps at 29.71. More recently, he took five wickets in the only red ball match he played for Pakistan Shaheens against Zimbabwe Select. He topped the charts in the white-ball series, with 16 strikes in six games at an economy rate of 6.33.
The squad consists of four spinners, four fast bowlers, six specialist hitters and two wicket-keeper hitters, including Mohammad Rizwan, who has also been called up to the Global T20 Canada, which will clash with the Sri Lanka Tests next month.
“Conditions in Sri Lanka are largely in favor of finger spinners – something we’ve seen over the years and during Pakistan’s last visit to the island – so we have three such bowlers to go along with the mystery spin from Abrar Ahmed,” said chief selector Haroon Rashid. . “At the same time, we cannot overlook the need for fast bowlers and so we have included four pacers so that the captain and team management have sufficient resources during the tour. We can boast a strong batting line-up, of which I am sure will do well in the two games.
“The players who have missed out on selection should not get stuck as they remain an integral part of our plans. We have an exciting and challenging season ahead of them and they need to make the most of the opportunities in the domestic cricket and Shaheens tours. ready.”
This series will be Pakistan’s first assignment in the new World Test Championship cycle, which runs from 2023 to 2025. The squad will gather for camp in Karachi on July 3 before departing for Sri Lanka on July 9. yet announced.
Pakistan test squad: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-capt, wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Agha Salman, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood
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