Pakistan have named a 29-man squad, featuring U19 star Haider Ali, to take on England in three Tests and as many T20Is on their upcoming tour of the country.
Although yet to wear an international cap, Kashif Bhatti has been part of the national setup previously.
He featured in Pakistan’s squad during their tour of Australia in late 2019 and was in the probables for Pakistan’s Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.
Fast bowler Sohail Khan, who has 471 first-class wickets, played the last of his nine Tests three and a half years ago, but has earned a recall on the back of a strong performance in the domestic season.
The squad also features 34-year-old batsman Fawad Alam, who hasn’t played an international match in five years although he was part of the squad for the home Tests against Sri Lanka in late 2019.
Speaking on the selections, Misbah-ul-Haq said that there was an emphasis on grooming youngsters, while Sohail has been selected with the view of adding depth to the fast bowling reserves.
U19 @cricketworldcup star Haider Ali gets his maiden national call-up, as Pakistan announce a 29-member squad for their upcoming tour to England.
https://youtu.be/3eLfXbzF0hw
Batsman Haider Ali, one of Pakistan’s best performers at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, has earned a maiden call-up to the national team, and Sohail Khan, the 36-year-old quick, has been recalled after last playing internationally in 2017, as Pakistan named a 29-member squad for the Tests as well as T20Is in England.
Sarfaraz Ahmed, the former all-format captain who last played for Pakistan in October last year, has returned to the line-up, but as back-up wicketkeeper to Mohammad Rizwan.
The squad is a combination of red- and white-ball players, and the selectors will streamline the squads after reaching England.
The selectors have retained most of the men who had been named for the Bangladesh Tests earlier this year, with only Haris Sohail missing, after the batsman withdrew citing family concerns.
For the T20Is, Ahsan Ali, Amad Butt and Usman Qadir – who were part of the previous squad that played in January against Bangladesh – have been dropped.
Apart from them, Mohammad Amir, who retired from Test cricket last year and was thus only eligible for selection for the T20Is, had pulled out so that he could be present for the birth of his second child in August.
Pakistan’s tour will feature three Tests in August followed by a series of three T20Is, with the matches taking place behind closed doors as part of unprecedented measures to stay safe from Covid-19.
The ECB has come up with extensive plans to keep Pakistan’s players in a bio-secure environment – likely to be in Birmingham initially – from the moment they land in the country.
The Pakistan players and support staffers are expected to fly out later this month, at least five weeks before the series formally starts.
Under current UK government rules, those arriving from outside the country will have to mandatorily undergo a 14-day quarantine period.
The touring party will form a “bubble”, where they will not interact with anyone outside of the group, and regular tests for Covid-19 will be conducted on the tour.
Pakistan will be the second side to tour England since the Covid-19 pandemic, with West Indies set to play three Tests in England starting July 8.
Three West Indies players – Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Darren Bravo – withdrew from that tour, citing health-related concerns.
Complete 29 Member Squad: Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
