Karachi: Pakistan on Monday announced their 20-member squad for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, starting November 26, with opener Imam-ul-Haq making a comeback to the national side.
The opener has been recalled on the back of a blistering form in the ongoing Quaid-E-Azam Trophy, where he has so far amassed 488 runs in five innings.
Middle-order batter Kamran Ghulam and off-spinner Bilal Asif are also part of the squad. Bilal has replaced leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who is yet to fully recover from the thumb injury he suffered while playing in the domestic T20 tournament while Kamran returns to the squad after being left out during Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies.
Meanwhile, pacers Haris Rauf and Shahnawaz Dahani have been left out and will be allowed to travel back to Pakistan after the T20I leg of the tour.
“Bangladesh are a strong side in their backyard but we have the resources, talent, and experience to perform strongly and then carry that momentum into the Australia Tests, which will be part of the ICC World Test Championship,” said chief selector Muhammad Wasim.
The first Test will take place in Chittagong from November 26 with the second match taking place in Dhaka between December 4-8.
Pakistan squad:
Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Bilal Asif, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Zahid Mahmood