Pakistan has declared its 17-player team squad for their upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh which is going to begin by the end of this month. The selection marks a return to the longest format for the 21-year-old, who played the last of his 17 Tests 13 months ago, in Sri Lanka.

Another major change is that Saud Shakeel will be the vice-captain, replacing Shaheen Afridi. The decision is aimed at managing Afridi’s workload since Pakistan will be playing a lot of matches this year. 

Pakistan’s squad for the Bangladesh Test: 

Shan Masood (C), Saud Shakeel (VC), Aamer Jamal (subject to Fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (WK), Shaheen Shah Afridi. 

The inclusion of Aamer Jamal, one of the bright spots during Pakistan’s Test tour of Australia earlier this year, meanwhile is subject to the fast bowler proving his fitness. As many as 13 members of that squad that toured Down Under have retained their places. Imam-ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Noman Ali, and Sajid Khan are among those who failed to cut the previous assignment.

Instead, the selectors decided to hand call-ups to batter Kamran Ghulam, fast bowler Mohammad Ali, and batter Mohammad Hurraira as a reward for their performances in domestic cricket. Ghulam aggregated 1,025 runs in 11 first-class matches in the 2023-24 season. He was part of the squad for the home series against New Zealand in 2022-23 but didn’t feature in the drawn two-match series.

Pakistan’s Test squad will assemble in Rawalpindi for a training camp under head coach Jason Gillespie and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood ahead of the series. The two Tests, part of the World Test Championship, will be played in Rawalpindi (from August 21) and in Karachi (from August 30).