Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has included spinner Abrar Ahmed and fast bowler Mohammad Ali in the squad for the upcoming test series against England.
The two have been rewarded for their sublime performances in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier domestic red-ball competition.
Abrar has taken 43 wickets in the tournament at an average of 21.95 while recording five five-wicket hauls in six matches. Meanwhile, Ali has claimed 24 wickets in six matches of the same competition while his 56 combined scalps are the most for a fast bowler in the previous two seasons.
Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Zahid Mehmood, who were part of the Test side for the three Tests against Australia earlier this year, have also been named.
Pakistan has made four changes to the test squad which drew 1-1 against Sri Lanka for the England series. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Fawad Alam and Yasir Shah have been dropped for multifarious reasons.
Shaheen, who was already nursing a knee injury, underwent an appendectomy and will be out of action for three to four weeks before beginning rehab on his knee.
Hasan, Fawad and Yasir Shah have been replaced for meeting the expectations of the selectors.
Pakistan squad for England Tests:
Babar Azam (C) (Central Punjab), Mohammad Rizwan (VC & wk) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Abrar Ahmed (Sindh), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Faheem Ashraf (Central Punjab), Haris Rauf (Northern), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Mohammad Ali (Central Punjab), Mohammad Nawaz (Northern), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Naseem Shah (Southern Punjab), Nauman Ali (Northern), Salman Ali Agha (Southern Punjab), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shan Masood (Balochistan) and Zahid Mehmood (Sindh)
The three Tests, part of the ICC World Test Championship, are scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi (1-5 December), Multan (9-13 December) and Karachi (17-21 December).
