Daily Times

LAHORE: Veteran opener Mohammad Hafeez once again missed out on a place in the Test squad, this time for the New Zealand tour, which will begin from November 17. Chief Selector Inzamamul Haq finalised the 16-member squad on Monday after consultation with coach Mickey Arthrur and captain Misbahul Haq. Hafeez, who was dropped from the series against West Indies, was in contention for a spot in the squad as the third opener, but the selectors decided otherwise and opted for Sharjeel Khan, who is yet to play for Pakistan in the five-day format. Another notable absentee from the squad is veteran left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar, who could not able to find a place in the 16-member squad.

Sharjeel, 27, has been a regular presence for Pakistan at the top of the order in limited-overs cricket in 2016, having scored a bruising 152 off 86 balls against Ireland in August. Sharjeel has 4853 first-class runs at an average of 37.91 with 11 hundreds and 21 fifties. He came into contention for Test cricket after scoring 96 and 82 not out in successive innings in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Another uncapped player was among the 16 that were chosen, middle-order batsman Mohammad Rizwan, who was with the team in England in July 2016, but was left out for the subsequent Tests against West Indies in the UAE.

With neither Christchurch nor Hamilton -the venues for the two Tests against New Zealand – known for producing turning pitches, Pakistan are content to partner Yasir Shah with left-arm spinning allrounder Mohammad Nawaz, who made his debut in Pakistan’s first day-night Test earlier this month; his first-class credentials include three centuries and 49 wickets from 31 matches. Zulfiqar, though the better bowler stats-wise, only averages 16 with the bat in first-class cricket.

Pakistan have tried six opening combinations since the start of 2015, including playing the final Test of the England tour and the entire West Indies series with only one specialist – Sami Aslam, who has been retained. Azhar Ali was promoted up the order and scored his maiden triple-century from that position in October. But with Sharjeel – who has opened the batting in all but two of his 76 first-class matches – coming into the squad, Azhar could return to his usual No. 3 position. Younus Khan, captain Misbah, Asad Shafiq – touted as one of Pakistan’s most technically proficient batsmen – and wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed make for a strong middle order. There is also Babar Azam, who made his Test debut in October following three successive ODI centuries. On the fast bowling front, Pakistan have three left-arm quicks in Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir and Rahat Ali, to go with right-arm seamers Sohail Khan and Imran Khan.

Inzamam, while talking to the media, said that the team was picked on the basis of recent performances during England and West Indies series. “The Test team has been selected keeping in mind the conditions in New Zealand and the performances of players in the recent Test series against England and West Indies,” said Inzamam. “The team is a fine blend of experience and youth, and the selectors have decided to stick to the same combination of players selected in the series against England and West Indies, and we believe the combination will produce good results on the tour.”

Pakistan squad:

Misbahul Haq (captain), Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Sharjeel Khan, Yunus Khan, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan, Imran Khan Sr.