Pakistan announce squad for first England Test, Shan Masood retains captaincy

Pakistan is all set to take on England in a three-game Test series. Both sides will kick off the series by facing off in the first Test at the Multan Cricket Stadium from October 7. Ahead of the Test series, the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) came forward and announced the squad for the first match.

Shan Masood remains as captain. Pakistan will come into the series on the back of a two-test loss against Bangladesh. The side took on Bangladesh in their own backyard and managed to lose both matches, providing for a historic moment for Bangladesh cricket. Ahead of the series, the squad will assemble in Multan on September 30, and training camp for the series will kick off on October 1. 

It is worth noting that the players who have been selected for the first Test have withdrawn their names from the Champions One-Day Cup playoffs, which will in turn help them get some rest ahead of the series. After their recent performance against Bangladesh, Pakistan will hope to heavily improve and get a positive result against England.

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We are very much looking forward to the series: Jason Gillespie

Furthermore, with the squad announcement, Pakistan’s red-ball coach, Jason Gillespie, came forward and talked about how important it is to give the players some much-needed rest ahead of the series. 

“With a busy domestic and international cricket schedule, it makes sense to give our players some much-needed rest ahead of the Test series against England. We are very much looking forward to the series against England here in Pakistan and cannot wait for it to begin. We are excited about playing in front of our wonderful supporters,” Gillespie was quoted as saying by Pakistan Cricket. 

Pakistan Squad for 1st Test in Multan:

Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah Afridi.