Fawad, Bilal and Faheem back as Pakistan squad for Bangladesh Test announced

Off-spinner Bilal Asif, all-rounder Faheem Ashraf and batsman Fawad Alam have been recalled, as a 16-member Pakistan's Test squad was announced on Saturday for the upcoming two Test matches series against Bangladesh. The first Test will be played in Rawalpindi from February 7-11 while the second Test will be staged in Karachi.

After more than a decade of being overlooked by national selectors, Fawad Alam was made part of Pakistan's national Test squad. Fawad who has a 40-plus batting average in both Tests and ODIs, was also included in the squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka last month, but did not given a chance. Fawad played his last international Test match in November 2009.

Announcing the squad, head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul Haq told media at a press conference, in Lahore on Saturday that Azhar Ali will captain the team while bowler Bilal Asif and all-rounder Fahim Ashraf have been recalled. Batsmen Shan Masood and Babar Azam, who starred in the Test matches against Sri Lanka in December last year, have been retained. Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Imamul Haq and Haris Sohail are also part of the squad.

Bowlers Naseem Shah, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Imran Khan (senior) have also been included in the team. Mohammad Rizwan has also been retained.

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 backed by his six wickets in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final against Northern.

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."

Misbah said, "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."

He said, "We are aiming to collect maximum points from the two upcoming ICC World Test Championship matches against Bangladesh so that when we take the field for the Lord's Test against England on 30 July, we are in a strong contention for a top-two finish by the end of the 2020-21 season. This is what our aspiration is and that's what are aiming and striving for."

Squad:

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