Saud Shakeel Named New Test Vice-Captain; Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Ali, and Mohammad Huraira Earn Call-Ups
Lahore, 7 August 2024: The Pakistan Cricket Board’s men’s national selection committee has announced a 17-member squad for the ICC World Test Championship fixtures against Bangladesh. The squad will be led by Shan Masood, with Saud Shakeel appointed as the new vice-captain.
Bangladesh is set to arrive in Islamabad on 17 August for the Test matches scheduled from 21 August to 3 September in Rawalpindi and Karachi. The Pakistan Test side’s training camp will begin on 11 August at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium under the supervision of head coach Jason Gillespie and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood.
PAKISTAN SQUAD (ICC World Test Championship vs Bangladesh)
- Shan Masood (captain)
- Saud Shakeel (vice-captain)
- Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness)
- Abdullah Shafique
- Abrar Ahmed
- Babar Azam
- Kamran Ghulam
- Khurram Shahzad
- Mir Hamza
- Mohammad Ali
- Mohammad Huraira
- Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper)
- Naseem Shah
- Saim Ayub
- Salman Ali Agha
- Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper)
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
Saud Shakeel’s appointment as vice-captain aims to manage Shaheen Shah Afridi’s workload during a busy period where Pakistan will play nine Tests, 14 T20Is, and at least 17 ODIs from 21 August 2024 to 5 April 2025.
New Entrants:
- Kamran Ghulam: Aggregated 1,025 runs in 11 first-class matches in the 2023-24 season and scored 148 runs in three innings against Bangladesh ‘A’ in Darwin last month.
- Mohammad Ali: Took 24 wickets in six first-class matches in the 2022-23 season and 47 wickets in 14 first-class matches in the 2023-24 season. He took nine wickets in two four-day matches against Bangladesh ‘A’.
- Mohammad Huraira: Scored a double-century against Bangladesh ‘A’ in Darwin and aggregated 1,024 runs in 11 matches during the 2022-23 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
Players Dropped:
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Faheem Ashraf
- Hasan Ali (injured)
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Mohammad Wasim Jnr (injured)
- Noman Ali
- Sajid Khan
PAKISTAN SHAHEENS SQUAD (First Four-Day Match vs Bangladesh ‘A’):
- Saud Shakeel (captain)
- Kamran Ghulam
- Mehran Mumtaz
- Mir Hamza
- Mohammad Ali
- Mohammad Rameez Jnr
- Mohammad Huraira
- Naseem Shah
- Saad Baig (wicket-keeper)
- Saad Khan
- Saim Ayub
- Sameen Gul
- Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper)
- Umar Amin
Player Support Personnel:
- Umar Gul (head coach-cum-manager)
- Ghulam Ali (batting coach)
- Fahad Masood (fielding coach)
- Dr. Imtiaz Khan (physiotherapist)
- Faisal Rai (analyst)
- Yasir Malik (trainer)
- Shafqat Shabbir (media and digital manager)
- Malang Ali (masseur)
The training for the Pakistan Shaheens will begin on Wednesday afternoon at the Islamabad Club under the guidance of head coach Umar Gul, with assistance from Jason Gillespie and Azhar Mahmood before they shift their focus to the national team’s camp starting on 11 August. The revised schedule for the Pakistan Shaheens vs Bangladesh ‘A’ series will be announced soon, following ongoing discussions between the PCB and the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
