Lahore: Under new skipper Shan Masood, Pakistan on Monday named a fresh-faced squad for a tough tour of Australia starting next month, looking for a fresh start after a disastrous World Cup campaign.
After the World Cup in which Pakistan lost five out of nine matches and finished fifth, the country’s cricket board revamped the national team, with Babar Azam stepping down as captain of all three formats.
Team director Mickey Arthur and head coach Grant Bradburn have been sacked and former skipper Mohammad Hafeez has taken over both roles.
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Masood was given the reins of captaincy and Shaheen Shah Afridi was appointed Twenty20 captain.
Wahab Riaz, another former fast bowler, was appointed chief selector after Inzamam-ul-Haq’s retirement and stressed performers were selected in a domestic tournament for the three-match Test tour.
“Australia is always a tough tour but we think these players have the ability and potential to not only do well, but come out winners.”
However, Pakistan performed poorly in Australia, losing 14 Tests on the trot and doing well in 1995.
The series begins with the first Test in Perth (December 14-18) followed by Boxing Day Tests in Melbourne (December 26-30) and Sydney (January 3-7).
Unlimited fast bowler Khurram Shahzad is rewarded for being the highest wicket-taker in the country’s premier First-Class tournament this year with 36 wickets.
Left-handers Saim Ayub and Aamer Jamal have represented Pakistan across the globe in Twenty20 internationals but have not been tested in the five-day format.
Shaheen is the only fast bowler to have played for Australia, although Naseem Shah was not considered as he was still recovering from a shoulder injury that ruled him out of the World Cup.
squad: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi
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