Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket selectors, headed by former Test batsman Mohammad Wasim, on Friday recalled middle order batsman Haris Sohail and all-rounder Imad Wasim to the ODI and T20I squads, respectively, while fast bowlers Mohammad Abbas and Naseem Shah to the Test side named for the upcoming tours of England and West Indies. Abbas was dropped for the last two Test series Pakistan played, at home against South Africa and in Zimbabwe, but has forced his way back into contention after impressing in the County Championship in England. Spinner Yasir Shah’s inclusion in the Test outfit is subject to fitness as the wrist spinner is yet to fully recover from the knee injury that sidelined him from the Zimbabwe Tests. The selectors have included uncapped Azam Khan in the T20I squad. Quetta Gladiators’ Azam is the 22-year-old hard-hitting batsman. Uncapped Saud Shakeel has also reclaimed his spot in the ODI and Test squads after missing South Africa ODIs due to an injury. Salman Ali Agha, who has lost his Test spot, has been called-up for ODIs. Fakhar Zaman has maintained his place in the original squad after being drafted as an additional player for Zimbabwe T20Is following a stellar performance in South Africa. Skipper Babar Azam and his men will play three ODIs and as many T20Is in England from July 8-20, before taking on world champions West Indies in five T20Is that will be followed by two Tests.

Chief selector Wasim told reporters: “Mohammad Abbas has regained his form, Naseem Shah and Haris Sohail have reclaimed the required fitness standards, while Imad Wasim has been recalled considering the T20 World Cup is likely to be held in the UAE and he enjoys an excellent record there. The return of these four players meant we had to leave some players, which is never an easy decision. But we have collectively opted for what was in the best interest of the side, taking into consideration the opponents and the requirement of the formats on the upcoming tours.” He added the players who had missed on selection would remain part of the selectors strategy, and, as such, they would continue to work on their technical game at the National High Performance Centre under the watchful eyes of Mohammad Yousuf and Saqlain Mushtaq. “Yasir Shah’s inclusion is subject to clearing his fitness test. He was sidelined due to a knee injury after the second Test against South Africa earlier this year and was expected to reclaim complete fitness for the West Indies tour. It, however, has not been the case, but we remain hopeful that he will complete his rehabilitation before the departure.”

To a question, Wasim said the selection committee had remained consistent in their selection and kept the same core of cricketers who had been in the set-up for a while. “This is an extremely important and critical tour for Pakistan as we will be playing the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs against England as well as the T20Is against England and the West Indies as part of our preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The Jamaica Test will count towards the ICC World Test Championship. As such, keeping in view the above and in consultation with captain Babar Azam and head coach Misbahul Haq, we have tried our best to maintain the winning combinations but at the same time recalled four experienced players and rewarded uncapped Azam Khan for his domestic performance, while also giving him the required confidence for the future challenges,” Wasim maintained.

The chief selector said the side since the home series against South Africa had maintained an upward movement, but still there were few lose ends that the selectors would like to close by the end of the England and West Indies tours so that there was absolutely clarity on our compositions for the post West Indies tour engagements. “I strongly believe the changes will plug those gaps and will put us in a strong position in our endeavours to feature in the top three across all formats by the end of 2023,” he concluded.

Squads:

ODI squad:

Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Qadir.

T20I squad:

Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Arshad Iqbal, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sharjeel Khan and Usman Qadir.

Test squad:

Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper) (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Yasir Shah (subject to fitness) and Zahid Mahmood.

Tour itinerary:

June 25 –– Departure for Manchester

July 6 –– Arrival in Cardiff

July 8 –– 1st ODI, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

July 10 –– 2nd ODI, Lord’s, London

July 13 –– 3rd ODI, Edgbaston, Birmingham

July 16 –– 1st T20I, Trent Bridge, Nottingham

July 18 –– 2nd T20I, Headingley, Leeds

July 20 –– 3rd T20I, Old Trafford, Manchester

July 21–– Arrival in Barbados

July 27 –– 1st T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

July 28 –– 2nd T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

Jul 31 –– 3rd T20I, Providence Stadium, Guyana

August 1–– 4th T20I, Providence Stadium, Guyana

August 3 –– 5th T20I, Providence Stadium, Guyana

August 6-7 –– Two-day practice match, Guyana

August 12-16 –– 1st Test, Sabina Park, Jamaica

August 20-24 –– 2nd Test, Sabina Park, Jamaica

August –– Departure