Pakistan team management has named the playing XI for the first Test scheduled to begin tomorrow morning in Galle. Salman Ali Agha has been handed a debut for his stellar season in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy while Yasir Shah and Mohammad Nawaz have returned to the Test team after a long time.
In 18 matches, since the 2019-20 season, right-handed Salman Ali Agha has scored 1,629 runs at an average of 56.19. The 28-year-old has smashed five centuries and eight half-centuries. His off-spin also snared 25 wickets.
Veteran middle-order batter, Fawad Alam, has been rested while Nauman Ali and Faheem Ashraf have also missed out.
Surprisingly, Pakistan have gone with three frontline pacers including Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah. The move is surprising since Galle is traditionally a spin-friendly track. Although Pakistan will have three spin options in the form of Yasir, Nawaz, and Agha, however, playing three pacers is not something you usually see in Sri Lanka, especially in Galle.
Here’s how Pakistan’s playing XI stacks up:
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Abdullah Shafique
- Azhar Ali
- Babar Azam (c)
- Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
- Salman Ali Agha
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Hasan Ali
- Yasir Shah
- Naseem Shah
- Shaheen Afridi
The match is set to begin at 9:30 am Pakistan Standard Time and the series is part of the World Test Championship 2021-23.
