Naseem Shah makes a comeback to Test cricket as Pakistan announces squad for Bangladesh series

Islamabad - Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah has made a comeback to red-ball cricket after more than a year, as the selectors announced a 17-member squad for the upcoming home test series against Bangladesh.

Rawalpindi will host the first test from Aug. 21-25 while the second test match will be played at Karachi from Aug. 30-Sept. 3.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said Bangladesh's test team will arrive in Pakistan on Aug. 17 for the two-test series which is part of ICC’s World Test Championship.

Political unrest in Bangladesh has already delayed the departure of its men’s A cricket team to Pakistan by at least 48 hours. Bangladesh A was due to arrive in Islamabad on Wednesday for two four-day games and three 50-over white-ball matches against Pakistan Shaheens from Aug. 10-27.

“The PCB has been in contact with the Bangladesh Cricket Board and it is expected that the revised schedule of the Pakistan Shaheens versus Bangladesh ‘A’ series will be announced shortly,” the PCB said in a statement.

Shan Masood will captain Pakistan against Bangladesh in the test series while middle-order batter Saud Shakeel was named vice-captain in place of Shaheen Shah Afridi.

The selectors recalled fast bowler Mohammad Ali, who last played against England in 2022, while uncapped batters Mohammad Hurraira and Ghulam Ali were rewarded for their outstanding performances in domestic cricket.

Opening batter Imam-ul-Haq, allrounder Faheem Ashraf, left-arm spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Noman Ali and offspinner Sajid Khan, who toured Australia earlier this year, were dropped while fast bowlers Mohammad Wasim and Hasan Ali were not considered due to injuries.

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood , Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal , Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

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