Pakistan likely to rest Babar, others

Sarfaraz Ahmed is likely to make comeback against Bangladesh

Captain Shan Masood, head coach Jason Gillespie and the selection committee have begun discussions related to Pakistan’s squad for the Test series against Bangladesh in August, sources revealed on Wednesday.

It is possible that the current white-ball skipper Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi will be rested for the Test matches against Bangladesh whereas Haris Rauf’s inclusion in the squad is not even being considered.

Saud Shakeel, Abdullah Shafique, Salman Ali Agha and former skipper and wicketkeeper-batter Sarfaraz Ahmed are being considered for the final squad.

As for the fast bowling department, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Mir Hamza, Khurram Shahzad and Aamir Jamal are under consideration for selection.

Pakistan will host Bangladesh in August for a two-Test series and this series will be the first time since 2019-2020 that Pakistan will host the nation. The series will form a part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-2025.

This series will be Gillespie’s first assignment as head coach of the Pakistan Test team after his appointment in April and Masood’s second assignment after his appointment later last year. He first led the side against Australia in a three-Test series which Pakistan lost by 3-0 in Australia.

Masood is currently representing and captaining the Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the County Championship.

Pakistan were knocked out of the ongoing T20 World Cup in the initial group stage, whereas Bangladesh have qualified for the Super 8.

New captain?

Former 2009 T20 World Cup winning captain Younis Khan has put forward a surprising choice for Pakistan’s next cricket captain after Babar Azam.

In light of Pakistan’s disappointing T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, which ended prematurely before the super 8 round, Khan expressed his views during a recent interview with a local sports platform.

The former cricketer advocated for Fakhar Zaman to take over the captaincy reins from Babar Azam.

“Why can’t Fakhar Zaman be the captain of the side isn’t he a performer? Didn’t he do well in the last 50-over World Cup? Who is that one player who gave us hope? Zaman started the 2023 World Cup in India poorly however, in the second half turned his form around which coincided with Pakistan’s success”, Khan said.

The 46-year-old emphasized Zaman’s sacrifice for the team, noting his willingness to adjust his batting position for the team’s benefit.

“Who is that one player in the side who is leaving his opening slot and batting down at four or five or six? Who is sacrificing his place? Fakhar Zaman! Why won’t you make him the captain?” he said.

It is worth noting that Babar was reinstated as Pakistan’s white-ball captain after being removed from the role across all formats following the conclusion of the 2023 World Cup.

The Men in Green experienced a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign as they were eliminated from the tournament without reaching the super eight round. Led by Babar Azam, the team was placed in Group A alongside India, USA, Canada, and Ireland.

They suffered consecutive defeats at the hands of the co-hosts USA and their arch-rivals India. However, they managed to win their last two group matches against Canada and Ireland, concluding their tournament with two wins and two losses, earning a total of four points.

Team returns home

Naseem Shah, Usman Khan and Wahab Riaz arrived in Lahore on Wednesday morning after their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign.

They reached Lahore Allama Iqbal International Airport through a private airline flight, commencing their return from Florida, United States.

Those who have returned included Naseem Shah, Usman Khan and Senior Manager Wahab Riaz, however, skipper Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Imad Wasim, Azam Khan and Mohammad Amir were not among them.

Babar planned to return home on June 22. In the aftermath of the World Cup assignment, Head Coach Gary Kirsten is set to return to home, while Amir plans to extend his stay in the United States for a couple of days before heading to England to join the Derbyshire.