Is Pakistan shaking things up after their early exit from the T20 World Cup? It looks like it! Fresh off their group stage knockout, rumors are swirling that Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan will sit out the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh at home in August.
According to GeoSuper, Test captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie are spearheading the selection process for the two-match series. Sources hint that the star trio—Rizwan, Babar, and Shaheen—might be given a break. Meanwhile, Haris Rauf, who’s shown little interest in Test cricket, won’t be in the mix either.
In a surprising twist, Sarfaraz Ahmed could make a comeback. With Rizwan likely resting, Sarfaraz is set to reclaim the wicketkeeping duties. His last Test outing was in December in Perth, where he struggled with scores of 3 and 4. Also making a return is Naseem Shah, who’s fit again and ready to lead the bowling attack in Shaheen’s absence.
New faces and familiar ones will round out the squad. Khurram Shahzad is poised for his Test debut, and Saud Shakeel, Abdullah Shafique, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Mir Hamza, Khurram Shahzad, and Aamir Jamal are expected to keep their places.
Pakistan’s Probable Test Squad vs Bangladesh:
Shan Masood (c), Imam-ul-Haq, Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Sajid Ali, Aamir Jamal, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Mir Hamza, Khurram Shahzad, Abrar Ahmed, Noman Ali.
