The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has formulated its Test squad for the upcoming home series versus Australia. According to the new squad named, Mohammad Nawaz has been ruled out of the series following his foot injury and will not be replaced in the side.
The pacer Naseem Shah and the former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed have been added to the travelling reserves. The duo will only be considered for selection in case of any injury arriving in the main squad. Moreover, Mohammad Haris has also been named among the reserves alongside Kamran Ghulam, Yasir Shah, and Mohammad Abbas. The four players are advised to participate in the Pakistan Cup. If needed, they will be drafted into the main squad.
Test players who attended a training camp in Karachi and those not involved in HBL PSL 2022 playoffs will arrive in Islamabad later tonight. After observing a three-day room isolation, they will hold a training session on 27 February. Test players involved in the HBL PSL 2022 playoffs will travel to Islamabad in a bubble on 28 February and will participate in a training session on 1 March
15-player squad: Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Haris Rauf (Northern), Hasan Ali (Central Punjab), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Nauman Ali (Northern), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shan Masood (Balochistan) and Zahid Mahmood (Sindh)
Test schedule:
4-8 Mar – 1st Test, Rawalpindi
12-16 Mar – 2nd Test, Karachi
21-25 Mar – 3rd Test, Lahore