Pakistan has revealed their 16-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, set to take place in July. Notably, star pacer Shaheen Afridi makes a return to the squad after his absence due to a knee injury suffered in a Test match against Sri Lanka back in July 2022.
In addition to Afridi’s comeback, Pakistan has chosen to include two uncapped players in the squad: batter Mohammad Huraira and all-rounder Aamir Jamal have been given call-ups.
The team will be led by Babar Azam, who will have the support of other notable players such as Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Hasan Ali, and Naseem Shah.
Afridi’s return to the Test arena is expected to boost the team’s morale. In a statement released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Shaheen expressed his excitement, stating, “I am very excited to be returning to the Pakistan Test side after a year. I dearly missed Test cricket and it was tough for me to be away from this format. After missing our entire home season because of the injury I suffered in Sri Lanka, I am eager to make an impactful comeback in the same country and complete a century of wickets in Test cricket.” Currently, Afridi has 99 wickets from 25 Tests, with an average of 24.86.
The squad will gather in Karachi on July 3 for preparations before their scheduled departure on July 9. The tour schedule is expected to be announced soon. These two Test matches will be part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle for both teams.
Pakistan Squad:
- Babar Azam (c)
- Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk)
- Aamir Jamal
- Abdullah Shafique
- Abrar Ahmed
- Hasan Ali
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Mohammad Huraira
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Naseem Shah
- Noman Ali
- Salman Ali Agha
- Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk)
- Saud Shakeel
- Shaheen Afridi
- Shan Masood
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