Pakistan’s Expected Squad for England Test Series

England’s historic Test tour of Pakistan is just over two weeks away as the two sides gear up for the three-match series. Both sides met in the 2022 T20 World Cup final just a few days ago as England emerged victorious by 5 wickets. Babar Azam’s men will be aiming to take their revenge in the longest format of the game and keep their hopes of making it to the final of the World Test Championship alive.

Pakistani stars will be looking to get their Test form on the right track as they drew the Test series against Sri Lanka and lost the Test series against Australia at home. The Babar Azam-led side is expected to make a few changes to the squad as top performers of the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy are expected to be rewarded for their exceptional displays.

The Men in Green will be without the services of their ace pacer, Shaheen Afridi, who was ruled out of action after suffering a knee injury during the T20 World Cup final. Shaheen will not be a part of the England Test series and it is expected that he will be rested for the New Zealand Test series as well.

Pakistan’s express speedster, Haris Rauf, who has been impressive in limited-overs, is expected to be handed a debut in red-ball cricket as Shaheen’s replacement.

Elsewhere, the likes of Faheem Ashraf and Abrar Ahmed are expected to earn call-ups to the side after a stellar showing in the ongoing first-class season.

Leg-spinner, Abrar Ahmed, has been a cut above the rest of the bowlers in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Abrar is the leading wicket-taker, having picked up 43 wickets at an average of 21.41 in six matches in the competition so far. The second-highest wicket-taker, Mohammad Ali, has taken only 24 wickets so far. Abrar is expected to be named in the squad at the expense of Yasir Shah, who has had a poor showing in international cricket recently.

All-rounder, Faheem Ashraf, is also set to be included in the squad after sensational displays with both the bat and the ball in the ongoing season. Faheem looks to be back to his best after a poor run of form in the international circuit.

The left-arm pacer, Mir Hamza, is another player who is knocking on the selector’s door after an impressive run of displays recently. Hamza has only played four matches in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy so far but has taken 16 wickets at an average of 24.00. He has also performed well in the shorter formats of the game recently.

Mohammad Abbas is another player on the selector’s radar. He has been sensational as well and is in line to earn a Test recall. Abbas has picked up 18 wickets at an average of 23.00 in the five matches he has taken part in.

Other contenders for a Test call-up are young opening batter, Mohammad Huraira, and experienced middle-order batter, Usman Salahuddin. Both the players have piled on the runs in the domestic circuit and have made a case for themselves to be included in the Test squad. Despite their impressive performances, it is unlikely that the two will be included in the squad.

Openers, Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq, are set to keep their spot in the squad along with experienced Azhar Ali and Fawad Alam. Young all-rounder, Salman Ali Agha, who has been impressive in his short Test career so far, is also likely to keep his place in the squad.

Here is the expected 15-man squad: