Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was named as head coach of the Pakistan test team as selectors named four uncapped players on Saturday for next month´s two-test series in Bangladesh.
Sarfaraz, who won the Champions Trophy in 2017, retired from international cricket last month. The Pakistan Cricket Board also appointed former test batter Asad Shafiq as the new batting coach while Umar Gul will be bowling coach. Left-handed batter Shan Masood will continue to lead the test team with Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq the other experienced batters in the side.
Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais and Mohammad Ghazi Ghori are the four uncapped players in the test team. Fazal and Awais are both left-handed batters and have been rewarded after impressing the selectors in domestic cricket. Butt, who made his first-class debut in 2015, is a seasoned all-rounder and carries over a decade of playing in domestic cricket.
The first test will be played in Dhaka from May 8-12 with Sylhet hosting the second test from May 16-20. The series is part of World Test Championship where Pakistan stands at No. 5 after drawing the home test series against South Africa 1-1 last October.
Bangladesh lost its opening WTC series in Sri Lanka 1-0 and is eighth in nine-team event. Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.