"The best available talent; a nice blend of experience and youth", says chief selector Moin Khan
LAHORE–October 18, 2014: Chairman PCB Shaharyar M. Khan has approved the 16-member squad for the first Test against Australia. The squad was picked by the selection committee headed by Moin Khan – with Ijaz Ahmed, Mohmmad Akram, Saleem Yousuf, Shoaib Mohammad and Wajahatullah Wasti as members – after the four-day Pakistan ‘A’ match against Australia that concluded Saturday.
The first Test commences on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The 16-member squad (in alphabetical order):
- Ahmed Shehzad
- Asad Shafiq
- Azhar Ali
- Ehsan Adil
- Haris Sohail
- Imran Khan
- Misbah-ul-Haq (Captain)
- Mohammad Hafeez
- Mohammad Talha
- Rahat Ali
- Sarfraz Ahmed (W/k)
- Shan Masood
- Taufeeq Umar
- Yasir Shah
- Younis Khan
- Zulfiqar Babar
Synopsis:
The squad includes four openers, five middle-order batsmen, four fast bowlers, two spinners and a wicketkeeper. There are three uncapped players, namely Haris Sohail (middle-order batsman), Yasir Shah (right-arm wrist spinner) and Imran Khan (fast bowler), while openers Taufeeq Umar and Mohammad Hafeez, and left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar have been recalled.
There are six changes to the squad, which toured Sri Lanka in August. The players missing out on selection are: Abdur Rehman, Junaid Khan, Khurram Manzoor, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Akmal and Wahab Riaz.
Fast bowlers Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz were not considered for selection as they were unfit, while Saeed Ajmal is suspended by the ICC, for illegal bowling action.
The squad for the first Test also includes eight players that represented Pakistan ‘A’ in the four-day match against Australia, which concluded in Sharjah on Saturday and was won by the home side by a convincing margin of 153 runs. Ahmed Shehzad scored 55 and 59, Shan Masood scored 6 and 19, Asad Shafiq scored 108 not out, Haris Sohail scored 43 and 103 not out, Ehsan Adil took one for 14 in the first innings, Mohammad Talha took four for 66 in the match, Rahat Ali returned figures of three for 61 and Imran Khan bagged one for 18 in the second innings.
Chief Selector Moin Khan Quotes:
“The side has been picked in consultation with captain Misbah-ul-Haq and head coach Waqar Younis, and there is complete agreement that these are the 16 best available players to represent Pakistan in the first Test against a formidable ICC’s second-ranked Australia side
“A nice blend of experience and youth, the squad has been selected keeping in mind next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. While the series will provide an excellent opportunity to the youngsters to test and hone their skills at the highest level against a highly competitive Australia side, it will also provide a good chance to our experienced players to return to their best form.
“Openers Taufeeq Umar and Mohammad Hafeez have been recalled due to their experience. Taufeeq has hit seven centuries, holds an average of just under 39 in 43 Tests and has the experience of playing against Australia and in the UAE conditions. Furthermore, he showed decent form in his last first-class match when he contributed 80 runs in a winning cause. It should also be remembered that Taufeeq was last dropped due to fitness instead of form, but was not selected for the Sri Lanka tour considering the opposition, conditions and team requirement
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“Mohammad Hafeez has been recalled as he is an experienced player. Then, in the absence of Saeed Ajmal, Hafeez gives the captain an extra spin option. When you combine Taufeeq and Hafeez, between them they have played 79 Tests, and scored 5,117 runs with 12 centuries.
“Four openers have been included in the side as the tour selection committee has not finalized combination for the first Test. As soon as the combination is finalised, openers not part of the Test will be released so that they can return to Pakistan and participate in domestic cricket.
“The bowling is relatively inexperienced due to the non-availability of Junaid, Wahab and Saeed. But this is an opportunity for the likes of Imran, Rahat, Ehsan, Talha and Zulfiqar to prove their mettle against some of the best. They are extremely talented bowlers with a promising future and deserve selection.
“The selectors had considered Mohammad Irfan but decided not to include him in order to preserve him as we need to carefully manage his workload with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 just four months away. The selectors believe he will be a formidable force on the hard and bouncy Australia pitches.”
