LAHORE: Pakistan have finalized their pace squad for the upcoming Test tours of West Indies and England, with the team management and selection committee deciding to travel with four specialist pacers and one pace all-rounder.
The chosen pacers are Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shehzad and unbeaten pacer Ubaid Shah, while Amir Jamal has been included as a pacer all-rounder.
As a result, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali and Hammad Bhatt were not included in the squad for the Bangladesh tour.
Twenty-year-old right-arm fast bowler Ubaid Shah, who hails from Lower Tri, has earned his maiden call-up to the Pakistan Test team.
He has taken 72 wickets in 16 first-class matches at an average of 25.20. Ubaid is also the younger brother of Pakistan Test fast bowler Naseem Shah.
Senior fast bowler Mohammad Abbas is the most experienced fast bowler in the team. He has taken 110 wickets in 29 Tests at an average of 23.23.
Muhammad Ali will return to the national team after representing Pakistan in the Rawalpindi Test against Bangladesh in September 2024. The right-arm pacer has taken six wickets in four Tests at an average of 66.67.
Mandi Bahauddin’s 26-year-old fast bowler Khurram Shehzad completed the special pace attack. He has taken 28 wickets in seven Tests at an average of 27.39.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Amir Jamal also returned to the national team. His last Test appearance came against South Africa in Cape Town in January 2025. The Mianwali-born all-rounder has scored 352 runs and 21 wickets in eight Tests for Pakistan.
The Pakistan team is expected to leave for the West Indies on July 13, where they will play a four-day practice match from July 18.
A two-Test series in Trinidad and Tobago is scheduled from July 25-29 and August 2-6.
Pakistan will then travel to England for a three-Test series, starting on August 19 at Headingley in Leeds. The second Test will be played at Lord’s from August 27, with the third and final Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham starting on September 9.
Syed Yahya Hussaini
comments