Former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmad has been dropped, as Chief Selector and Head Coach Misbah-ul-Haq on Monday announced the names of the players for the upcoming tour to Australia for three T20 Internationals and two Test matches.
The T20I series will begin on November 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, followed by the next match at Manuka Oval on November 5 and the final at Optus Stadium in Perth on November 8.
Pakistan's first series as part of the inaugural World Test Championship will be in Australia, where Pakistan will play in Brisbane (Nov. 21-25), followed by a day-night Test in Adelaide (Nov. 29-Dec. 3).
During a press conference in Lahore, Misbah announced that Muhammad Rizwan would be the wicket keeper in both series, whereas excluded Sarfaraz Ahmad from both formats of the game.
"Our aim is to move up the Test rankings and begin the Test Championship strong. There is a need to play a different brand of cricket, the balance of the squads is reflective of us having options to play aggressive, attacking cricket" said Misbah while announcing the squad.
Misbah said that Sarfaraz could be reconsidered for his position in the team after he improves his form. Uncapped prolific opener Abid Ali and experienced left-arm spinner Kashif Bhatti were named in the squad, while middle-order batsman Iftikhar Ahmed and fast-bowler Imran Khan senior were recalled for World Test Championship matches.
Musa Khan was also included in the T20I side along with uncapped middle-order batsman Khushdil Shah and wrist spinner Usman Qadir, and lanky fast bowler Mohammad Irfan made a comeback as well. Hasan Ali was ruled out of the tour due to back injury while Shaheen Shah Afridi named only for Tests after injury comeback.
The three quicks will join 14-Test veteran Mohammad Abbas and fast-bowler Imran Khan senior, who has been recalled after playing his ninth and final Test in Sydney in January 2017, as the Pakistan cricket selectors have taken an attacking and aggressive approach for the upcoming Tests while also looking at the future.
The 19-year-old Musa from Islamabad has played seven first-class matches in which he has taken 17 wickets, while Lahore's 16-year-old Naseem has also claimed 17 wickets in five first-class matches. In the four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2019-20, Musa has picked up five wickets in four matches and Naseem has bagged nine wickets in three matches.
Both fast-bowlers, regular features of the Pakistan junior sides, are regarded as the quickest on the domestic circuit, regularly touching 145kph on the speed gun, with tremendous potential and bright futures. Musa has also been named for the three T20Is, which will be played in the first week of November. In the 20-over format, Musa will team up with Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Irfan, the 2.16m tall left-armer who has been included to further bolster the fast bowling attack while keeping an eye on next year's ICC T20 World Cup Australia 2020.
In both the formats, Misbah-ul-Haq's selection committee has also rewarded the high-performing players. In the T20I side, they have included Bannu's 24-year-old middle-order batsman Khushdil Shah and 26-year-old wrist spinner Usman Qadir of Lahore, who has played seven Big Bash League matches for Perth Scorchers.
In the ongoing National T20 Cup, Khushdil has scored 93 runs for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at an impressive strike-rate of over 160. Khushdil was the second highest run-getter in the Pakistan Cup 2019, scoring 316 runs at 105.33 with the help of two centuries while Usman has taken four wickets at an economy-rate of under seven.
In the Test side, the selectors, apart from Musa and Naseem, have also named uncapped opener Abid Ali, who has scored 7,000 first-class runs in 104 matches, including 300 runs in the two Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches to date, and left-arm spinner Kashif Bhatti. The 33-year-old Kashif has taken 10 wickets in the current season, while in an 83-match first-class career, spanning over 12 years, he has taken 327 wickets.
Explaining his selections, chief selector and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq said: "We know that Australia will present different and exciting challenges for us. There is a need to play a different type of cricket, the balance of the squads is reflective of us having options to play aggressive, attacking cricket. Yes it's a brave and bold decision to select the likes of Musa and Naseem, but we know that their fresh and attacking approach will give us something different. The Australian wickets will give them the opportunity to express themselves, gain valuable experience and it will help us to take 20 wickets to win the Tests."
Misbah said, "I am pretty sure these two lads will surprise a lot of people with their pace, controlled swing and ability to bowl long spells at a consistent speed. Abbas's calibre and prowess is very well documented, while Shaheen Shah Afridi has already shown the world that he is a star in the making."
T20 squad: Babar Azam (captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Muhammad Amir, Muhammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Rizwan, Musa Khan, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir and Wahab Riaz.
Test squad: Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafique, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan Sr, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Muhammad Abbas, Muhammad Rizwan, Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Yasir Shah.
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