Yasir Shah, Pakistan’s leg-spinner, has been ruled out of the country’s two-match Test series in Bangladesh due to a thumb injury. The 35-year-old, Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in 46 Tests since 2014, was sidelined by an injury that was announced in September. Bilal Asif, a 36-year-old spinner, will take his place in the team. Pakistan will play two Tests in Chittagong and Dhaka (26-30 November) following three Twenty20 internationals in Dhaka (4-8 December).
The 20-man squad includes two of Pakistan’s best players: opener Imam-ul-Haq and middle-order batsman Kamran Ghulam.
Imam scored 488 runs in five innings in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, including an unbeaten double-century, when he returns.
Imam played his 11th and final Test against Australia in Adelaide, Australia, in 2019.
Kamran set a new national record with 1,249 runs in the 2020-21 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
Bangladesh’s chief selector, Wasim, stated that the team was chosen based on the weather in the country.
“We have the resources, talent, and experience to perform well in Bangladesh and then carry that momentum into the Australia Tests in Pakistan next year,” Wasim said.
Pakistan’s test squad is as follows:
Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Bilal Asif, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Zahid Mahmood
