Chief Selector Misbah ul Haq on Saturday announced the 16-member squad for Sri Lanka Test series with middle order batsman Fawad Alam making his comeback in the side after a decade.
The squad was formally announced in a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium with Azhar Ali retaining his captaincy despite poor show against Australia.
“See, we have only a couple of changes in the squad. Our plan is to build the team by providing consistent chances to the players,” said the chief selector, who also serves as head coach of Pakistan Team.
Two changes were made in the side, with Fawad Alam making his comeback in the side in place of Iftikhar Ahmed, while Usman Shinwar received his maiden call up in the side in place of Mohammad Musa.
The Karachi native, who has scored over 12,000 runs in First-Class cricket, waited for a decade to to make a comeback in longest format of the game.
Commenting on Alam’s return to the side, Misbah said that he has been scoring runs in domestic cricket for the last four to five years and his current form can be worthy for Pakistan against a full-strength Sri Lanka’s squad.
“Fawad is a good player and we all know that. He has performed every time at domestic level. His current form is the reason why we selected him in the squad and I hope he will replicate his form in the international cricket,” he maintained.
The islanders are scheduled to play a two-match Test series in Rawalpindi and Karachi.
Squad:
Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imam ul Haq, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari