UK, West Indies tours: Babar named skipper of Test squad

LAHORE: Batsman Babar Azam has been named skipper of the Test squads for the upcoming tours of West Indies and England.

A 16-member squad has been named for the West Indies series, while a 17-member squad has been announced for the England series. Pakistan will play a two-match Test series against the West Indies from 25th July to 6th August, followed by a three-match Test series in England from 19th August to 13th September.

Saud Shakeel has been included as the 17th member for the England series, subject to fitness. Left-arm spinner Ali Usman, right-handed batter Muhammad Awais Zafar, right-arm fast bowler Ubaid Shah and wicket-keeper batter Muhammad Ghazi Ghori are the uncapped players in the squad.

The Pakistan Men’s National Selection Committee announced the squads at a news conference, here on Sunday.

Aqib Javed, the Director of High-Performance for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and a senior member of the men’s National Selection Committee, while expressing optimism regarding performance of the team, said our team would deliver strong performances during the tours of the West Indies and England.

He added that Misbah-ul-Haq and Sarfraz Ahmed had been members of the selection committee for less than six months, while he and fellow selector Asad had served in their roles for around one and a half years.

Aqib Javed said the decision to change the national team’s leadership was driven by results, despite acknowledging the strong individual performances of former captain Shan Masood who had performed well but the team’s overall results had fallen short of expectations. He noted that a captain also bears responsibility for the performance of the side and that the desired outcomes had not been achieved under Shan’s leadership.

Aqib Javed said that the pace of Pakistan’s fast bowlers had become a matter of concern for the management and selectors. He stressed the need to address the issue as the team prepares for important overseas tours and upcoming international competitions.

He hoped that the recent changes would help strengthen the side and enable Pakistan to perform more consistently at the highest level.

It may be noted that in February, Babar Azam was moved down the batting order for Pakistan’s final T20 World Cup group game against Namibia for scoring too slowly. Babar returned to form in April, however, with a blistering century off 52 balls driving Peshawar Zalmi to victory during the Pakistan Super League match against the Quetta gladiators.

16-member squad for West Indies series: Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah.

17-member squad for England series: Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness), Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah

Schedule for West Indies series:

25-29 July – First Test, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba; 2-6 August – Second Test, Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Port of Spain; Schedule for England series: 19-23 August – First Test, Leeds; 27-31 August – Second Test, Lord’s; 9-13 September – Third Test, Birmingham.

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