Pakistan announce squad for last two Tests against England; Babar, Shaheen, Naseem dropped

The Pakistan Cricket Board have announced a 16-member squad for the second and third Test against England, scheduled to be played in Multan and Rawalpinidi, respectively. In a move which was brewing ever since the conclusion of the first Test which saw Pakistan getting heavily dominated by the visitors in Multan by an innings and 47 runs, ace batter and former skipper, Babar Azam, did not find a place in the roster along with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.

As far as changes from the squad from the first Test is concerned, Champions Trophy-winning former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed has been replaced by 21-year-old southpaw, Haseebullah Khan. Abrar Ahmed, who went wicketless in the 35 overs he bowled in the first game, saw himself getting replaced by right-arm off-spinner, Sajid Khan. Sajid last featured in an international red-ball game in the third Test against Australia which was played in Sydney earlier this year.

Leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood, who last played Test cricket for Pakistan when England had last toured the country in 2022, got a call-up as well. He was in action in the recently concluded One-Day Cup, with him picking up a five-wicket haul in one of the games. He did go for a few runs against England then, but one thing which he would fondly relish is the 12 wickets he managed to secure across four innings. Notably, Kamran Ghulam and Mehran Mumtaz got their maiden call-ups to the red-ball squad.

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Pakistan's 16-member squad for the second and third Tests against England: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (wj), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wj), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Zahid Mehmood