Pakistan have announced their playing eleven for the second Test against England in Multan. With star players Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Babar Azam dropped, there was plenty of change expected.
In their place, the selectors have introduced a mix of uncapped and experienced players to the 16-member Pakistan Test squad.
Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, and Kamran Ghulam, all uncapped, have been allowed to make their Test debuts. They are joined by fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan. Additionally, Noman Ali and Zahid Mehmood, who were initially part of the first Pakistan Test squad but were later released, have been recalled.
Pakistan XI
Shan Masood (c) | Saud Shakeel (vc) | Mohammad Rizwan (wk) |
Abdullah Shafique | Salman Ali Agha | Noman Ali |
Saim Ayub | Aamir Jamal | Zahid Mahmood |
Kamran Ghulam | Sajid Khan |
Aqib Javed, a member of the men’s national selection committee, commented on the selection process:
Selecting the squad for the upcoming Tests against England has been a challenging task for the selectors. We’ve had to carefully consider current player form, the urgency to bounce back in the series, and Pakistan’s demanding 2024-25 international schedule. With these factors in mind and in the best interest of Pakistan cricket as well as the players, we’ve decided to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Javed emphasized the importance of this break for the rested players, stating, “We are confident that this break from international cricket will help these players regain their fitness, confidence, and composure, ensuring they return in top shape for future challenges. They remain some of our finest talents with much more to contribute to Pakistan cricket. We are fully committed to supporting them during this period so they can come back even stronger.”
Listen to Latest Podcast
📢 For the latest Sports news, videos and analysis join ProPakistani's WhatsApp Group now!
Follow ProPakistani on Google News & scroll through your favourite content faster!
Support independent journalism
If you want to join us in our mission to share independent, global journalism to the world, we’d love to have you on our side. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you can rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you.