Pakistan have left out former Test captain Shan Masood and spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali from their 14-man squad for the two-match home series against Sri Lanka. The Pakistan Test squad for Sri Lanka was named in Lahore on Saturday, with Babar Azam staying on as captain and Salman Ali Agha recalled.
The series counts towards the World Test Championship, and Pakistan go into it after a 3-0 defeat in England. The selectors have now cut deeper. Three uncapped batters are in, two senior spinners are out, and the man who led the side for most of the last three years isn’t in the squad at all.
Who is in the Pakistan Test squad for Sri Lanka
The Pakistan Cricket Board announced an initial 14-member Test squad for the two-match ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka set to be played in Rawalpindi and Lahore from 9 to 21 November. The first Test will be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from November 9 to 13, while the second Test is scheduled at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from November 17 to 21.
The squad is: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Taha, Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper), Salman Ali Agha, Sameer Minhas and Saud Shakeel.
It isn’t final yet. According to the PCB, the selectors will add two pacers from the Patron’s squad to the Test squad following the conclusion of the warm-up match on 6 November. So for now Pakistan have only two specialist seamers.
Masood, Rizwan and Imam miss out
Masood’s omission is the one people will talk about. Cricinfo reported that the 37-year-old has been struggling to regain fitness after picking up a niggle during the President’s Trophy, but also endured an indifferent tour of England, one that saw wholesale changes mid-series. He did make 95 in the third Test against England, so this wasn’t a straightforward form call.
The board hasn’t explained the decision. The PCB’s press release did not mention why Masood was absent from the squad, and did not immediately respond to Cricinfo’s request for clarification. That means nobody yet knows whether he’s been dropped or is simply unfit.
He isn’t the only senior name missing. According to Cricinfo, Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq, hauled back and made to face NCCIA investigations in Pakistan, find no place in the Test squad, either. Opener Abdullah Shafique has gone too. He struggled in England with 84 runs across six innings, and a hundred in domestic cricket last week wasn’t enough to keep his place.
Sajid Khan and Noman Ali left out of the spin attack
For a side that has built its home Test cricket around turning pitches in recent seasons, leaving out both senior spinners is a bold call. This is the first series since Pakistan’s shift to spin-friendly pitches that neither Sajid Khan nor Noman Ali have been included in a home Test squad.
Off-spinner Sajid and left-armer Noman have carried much of that load. Their places go to younger men. Left-arm spinner Ali Usman is back, while Arafat Minhas keeps his place and gives the side another spin option.
Usman’s return is the second stage of a strange few months. Cricinfo noted that he is also one of the returnees after impressing in England before his abrupt recall. He’ll now get a chance on surfaces much more likely to help him than English ones did.
Salman Ali Agha recalled after triple century
Agha’s return is the other big story. Dawn reported that he, along with senior player Mohammad Rizwan and five others were withdrawn by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ahead of the third Test in England earlier this year in a highly unusual call that amazed the cricketing circles in Pakistan.
He answered that with runs. Agha does find his way back into the Test side after scoring a triple-hundred upon his return to the domestic circuit in Pakistan, according to Cricinfo. And the 32-year-old Salman scored a match-winning century against Sri Lanka in the ongoing ODI tri-series in Rawalpindi.
It’s a quick turnaround. A few weeks ago he was sent home mid-series. Now he’s back in a squad that’s short on Test experience, and he’ll be one of the few batters in it with a solid record at this level.
Three uncapped batters get their chance
The selectors have also gone looking for fresh batting. The PCB said a trio of batters including left-handed Mohammad Taha, right-handed Sameer Minhas and Mohammad Suleman have received maiden call-ups to the Pakistan Test squad.
Their domestic numbers explain the picks. Suleman is fifth on the run charts in the same tournament with 652 runs, also with three centuries to his name. Sameer has made 405 runs in seven matches in his debut first-class season after impressing for Pakistan U-19. With Arafat already in the group, the Minhas brothers are now in the same Test squad.
What the squad changes mean for Pakistan’s WTC campaign
Pakistan need results quickly. CricTracker described the new faces as reflecting an intent to evaluate fresh options as Pakistan seek to climb from the foot of the World Test Championship table. Two home Tests against Sri Lanka look like a good chance to pick up points, but this squad is much less experienced than the one that started the England tour.
The seam bowling is thin for now. Mohammad Abbas and Razaullah are the only quicks named. Razaullah impressed in the final Test against England at Edgbaston, and Abbas was joint player of the series in Pakistan’s last red-ball assignment. Behind them, Pakistan will choose two more from a group of domestic seamers.
Babar’s position is also worth watching. He keeps the captaincy, but he’s leading a side that has lost a former captain, a senior keeper-batter and its two most trusted home spinners in a single selection. The Pakistan Test squad against Sri Lanka has a clear lean towards youth, and the captain will be expected to make it work straight away.
Warm-up match and the two extra pacers
Before the first Test, Sri Lanka play a three-day game in Islamabad. The PCB said a 13-member PCB Patron’s squad has also been announced for the three-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka from 4-6 November at the Islamabad Club.
Wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig is set to lead the PCB Patron’s XI in the three-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka’s Test squad. Several Test squad members will play in it as well. From the Test squad, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Taha and Sameer Minhas will also be in action in the three-day match.
The fight for the last two places in the Pakistan Test squad for Sri Lanka will be among the seamers. The pace attack for the Patron’s XI consists of Mohammad Salman, Shoaib Akhtar Jnr, Ali Shabbir, Saqib Khan and Ubaid Shah. Whoever bowls best in Islamabad should be in the Test squad by the evening of 6 November.
Key dates:
- 4-6 November: PCB Patron’s XI v Sri Lanka, Islamabad Club
- 6 November: two pacers added to the Test squad
- 9-13 November: first Test, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
- 17-21 November: second Test, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Shan Masood dropped from Pakistan’s Test squad against Sri Lanka?
The PCB hasn’t given a reason. Masood has been struggling with his fitness after a niggle in the President’s Trophy, and he had a mixed tour of England.
When does the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Test series start?
The first Test is at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 9 to 13 November. The second is at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from 17 to 21 November.
Who are the new players in Pakistan’s Test squad?
Batters Mohammad Taha, Sameer Minhas and Mohammad Suleman have their first Test call-ups. Salman Ali Agha and Ali Usman have been recalled.
The first answers come from the Islamabad Club between 4 and 6 November. That’s where the uncapped batters face Sri Lanka’s attack for the first time and five domestic seamers compete for two Test places. Then there’s the question of whether the PCB says anything more about Masood’s fitness before Rawalpindi.
Sources:Pakistan Cricket Board, Cricinfo, Dawn, CricTracker
