Bhatti, Shinwari dropped as Pakistan name squad for Rawalpindi Test

• Bilal Asif and Faheem Ashraf made their way back into the national side.
• First Test match is scheduled to be played from February 7 in the Rawalpindi cricket Stadium.
• “I know the two players who have been left out will be disappointed, but they remain firmly within our plans for the red-ball cricket we are scheduled to play later this year,” says Misbah

Pakistan cricket team chief selector Misbah ul Haq has named 16-member squad for Rawalpindi Test against Bangladesh with Bilal Asif and Faheem Ashraf returning to the side in place of Usman Khan Shinwari and Kashif Bhatti.

The Test match is scheduled to be played from February 7 in the Rawalpindi cricket Stadium.

The selectors have recalled off-spinner Bilal Asif at the back of his 43 wickets in nine Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches, while Faheem Ashraf has been drafted in the side due to his all-round skills that were backed by his six wickets in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final against Northern.

Two changes have been made in the side that was named for the two ICC World Test Championship Tests against Sri Lanka.  Kashif Bhatti and Usman Shinwari have been left out, but they remain in the red-ball plans and have been advised to continue their training and preparation.

Misbah-ul-Haq said: “We have followed the horses for courses policy for the Test against Bangladesh. I know the two players who have been left out will be disappointed, but they remain firmly within our plans for the red-ball cricket we are scheduled to play later this year.

“Kashif Bhatti has paved the way for Bilal Asif considering there are left-handed batters in the Bangladesh top and middle-order, while Faheem Ashraf has been preferred over Usman Shinwari due to his all-round abilities.

Kashif haven’t made his debut but was part of the team since Australia tour. However Usman made his only appearance in the Rawalpindi Test where he took one for 54 against Sri Lanka.

“We ended 2019 on a high with a victory over Sri Lanka and have made a good start to 2020 by winning the T20I series against Bangladesh. I understand the Test will be a different ball game but I am optimistic we will maintain our good form and translate that into another strong performance that will contribute significantly in the overall confidence building of the Test side.

The Pakistan team will depart for Rawalpindi on 3 February, where it will fine-tune its final preparations from 4 February.

Squad:

Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Bilal Asif, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan Snr, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah.