Pakistan’s newly appointed chief selector Wahab Riaz announced his 18-man Test squad for the Australia tour. Last week, Wahab became head of the national men’s selection committee. This is his first official assignment since taking over. The series is scheduled to take place from December 14, 2023, to January 7, 2024. The green shirts will play three test matches on Aussies soil.
Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Huraira were part of the previous test squad against Sri Lanka but haven’t retained their places for the Australian tour. The overall squad is well-balanced but there are also some surprises and concerns observed in the squad.
Return of Some Players
As the Australian condition will favour pace bowling, fast bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf was selected for the Test squad for the Australia tour. Faheem, who last appeared in Tests for Pakistan during England’s tour of Pakistan in late 2022 has returned to the squad.
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In the absence of Shaheen’s new ball-bowling partner Naseem Shah, Mir Hamza made it in the Test squad for the Australia tour. Hamza registered 32 wickets at 20.88 in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24.
Concerns over some players
Mohammad Wasim Jr.’s selection is questionable in this squad. He only picked two wickets at an average of 115 in two test matches which he played against New Zealand last year. In addition to not featuring in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy this year, it’s hard to understand how he got a direct entry into the Test Squad. Even though he had a decent World Cup campaign, it was not that remarkable that he earned a spot in the Test Squad.
Aamir Jamal’s performance, as evident in the recently concluded Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24, where he only secured 12 wickets, is not up to the mark, raising concerns about his selection for the squad.
Considering the circumstances, Mohammad Abbas emerges as a more suitable choice. Due to his extensive experience and consistent performances in county cricket, he is a better candidate in these conditions than Jamal and Wasim Jr.
Imam ul Haq’s inclusion in the squad is debatable due to his inconsistent performance in this format and his less-than-impressive test record, managing only 660 runs with an average of 26.40 in 15 matches. Sahibzada Farhan, the top scorer of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24, could be a more promising alternative in his place.
Uncapped Players for Test Squad for the Australia Tour
Saim Ayub, a left-handed opening batsman, has been selected for his first Test squad call-up following an outstanding performance in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24.
During the tournament, he scored 553 runs for Karachi Whites with an average of 79, including three centuries. One of his centuries came against Faisalabad in the final, which led to Karachi Whites winning the game.
Khurram Shahzad, a right-arm fast bowler, also received his first Test call-up after a strong domestic season. With 36 wickets at an average of 20.31 in eight matches during the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24, the 23-year-old was the leading wicket-taker.
Pakistan Test Squad for the Australia Tour
Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafiq, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Nauman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed
Schedule of Pakistan’s Test tour of Australia
1st Test: December 14-18, Perth Stadium
2nd Test: December 26-30, MCG
3rd Test: January 3-7, SCG
Pakistan’s likely playing IX for the first Test
- Abdullah Shafiq
- Shan Masood(c)
- Babar Azam
- Saud Shakeel
- Sarfaraz Ahmed
- Salman Ali Agha
- Faheem Ashraf
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Hasan Ali
- Mir Hamza
- Abrar Ahmed
