- Urdu version of the media release attached here
Lahore, 9 February 2022: Pakistan cricket selectors today announced 16 players and five reserves for the three Tests against Australia, which will be played in Rawalpindi (4-8 March), Karachi (12-16 March) and Lahore (21-25 March).
From the series against Bangladesh, three changes have been made in the national squad.
Haris Rauf, who was in the side for the South Africa and Zimbabwe Tests in 2021, has returned to replace off-spinner Bilal Asif, while Shan Masood, who last played in New Zealand in the 2020-21 season, has taken over from Abid Ali, who is completing his rehabilitation after being diagnosed with Acute Coronary Syndrome. Yasir Shah has been added to the reserve pool.
Test players who are not involved in the HBL Pakistan Super League 2022 will assemble in Karachi on Wednesday, 16 February, for a training camp that will be held at the National Stadium.
Test 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)
Mohammad Nawaz (Northern)
Nauman Ali (Northern)
Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
Saud Shakeel (Sindh)
Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
Shan Masood (Balochistan)
Zahid Mahmood (Sindh)
Reserves
Kamran Ghulam (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab)
Naseem Shah (Southern Punjab)
Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh)
Yasir Shah (Balochistan)
Chief selector Muhammad Wasim: “We have opted for consistency for the important home series against Australia and changes have only been made where absolutely necessary. This is to give the boys confidence, reward them for their impressive performances in the longer version of the game in 2021 and continue to build the side for the future.
“These are the best available, most talented and in-form players in the domestic circuit. I am confident they will put up an impressive performance against a formidable Australia side.”
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed Saqlain Mushtaq will continue as head coach for another 12 months, while it also announced the appointments of Shaun Tait as fast bowling coach for 12 months and Mohammad Yousuf as batting coach for the Australia series.
Player Support Personnel: Mansoor Rana (manager), Saqlain Mushtaq (head coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant to head coach), Mohammad Yousuf (batting coach), Shaun Tait (bowling coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saaiman (trainer/strength and conditioning coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Emmad Ahmed Hameed (media and digital manager), Col (retd) Usman Anwari (security manager), Talha Ejaz (analyst) and Malang Ali (masseur).
About Saqlain Mushtaq:
- Played 49 Tests from 1995-2004. Scored 927 runs at 14.48 with 1x100 and 2x50; took 208 wickets at 29.83 with 13x5wI and 3x10wM
- Played 169 ODIs from 1995-2003. Scored 711 runs at 11.85 and took 288 wickets at 21.78 with 6x5wI
- Credited for introducing the doosra – a delivery that is bowled with the same action as a traditional off‐spinner but spins the other way
- Took two hat‐tricks in ODI cricket and became the first player from Pakistan to perform the feat in the World Cup when he dismissed three Zimbabweans in a row at The Oval in 1999
- Played 10 seasons for Surrey and bowled them to the County Championship title in 1999, 2000 and 2002.
- In 2000, he was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year
- Is an ECB Level III coach and has previously worked as a spin bowling coach with Bangladesh, West Indies and England men’s cricket teams and was part of England’s victorious ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 squad.
- Has also served as a bowling consultant for the Pakistan Cricket Board, Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket
About Shaun Tait
- The 38-year-old from Adelaide played three Tests, 35 ODIs and 21 T20Is for Australia from 2005 to 2016, during which he took a total of 95 wickets
- Tait represented Rajasthan Royals, South Australia, Glamorgan, Essex, Durham, Peshawar Zalmi, Chittagong Kings and Wellington in 50 first-class, 101 List A and 171 T20 matches, and took a total of 598 wickets
- Was a member of the Australia side that won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies; was his side’s second most successful bowler in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2010 where Australia finished as runners-up to England
- He is a Australia Level 2 coach and has previously worked as bowling coach with Afghanistan, Bangla Tigers, Durham (in the Royal London one-day Tournament 2021), Brampton Wolves (in Global T20 Canada 2021) and Melbourne Renegades (in the 2019 Big Bash League). He was also South Australia Cricket Association’s bowling consultant from 2018-2019.
About Mohammad Yousuf
- The 47-year-old from Lahore played 90 Tests, 288 ODIs and 3 T20Is from 1998 to 2010, scoring a total of 17,300 with 39 centuries and 97 half-centuries
- In 11 Tests in 2006, he scored 1788 runs with nine hundreds, breaking Sir Viv Richards' 30-year-old record
- In 2007, he was adjudged the ICC Test Cricketer of 2007 at the Annual ICC Awards
In 2011, he was awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz, the third highest honour, by the President of Pakistan
