Pakistan announce T20I and Test squad for their tour of Australia

Pakistan's T20I and Test squads for their tour of Australia were announced. Wicket-keeper batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed failed to get into any of the squads post his removal as captain of the T20I and ODI team. Babar Azam will captain the T20I side while Azhar Ali will lead the Test squad.

19-year-old Muhammad Musa Khan was included in both the squads. 26-year-old Usman Qadir, son of legendary spinner Abdul Qadir was also included in the T20I side along with middle-order batsman Khushdil Shah. Domestic veteran Kashif Bhatti, who is currently fifth in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, made it the Test side as well as 16-year-old fast bowler Nasim Shah.

37-year-old Mohammad Irfan was recalled to the squad for the first time since September 2016. Mohammad Rizwan and Imran Khan were noticeable additions to the squad.

Talking to the media, head coach and chief selector, Misbah-ul-Haq said:

“A series to Australia has always been a challenge for Pakistan, and is very important, too… Being a player, it was always our wish to go to Australia and perform well, and win games and series there. because Australia, England and South Africa are places where it is incredibly difficult to win, and when you do, the world sits up and takes notice. We want to play competitive, aggressive, fearless cricket there, because this is the only way to beat them at home.”

Misbah sounded excited about the young squad that will be touring Australia and is confident about the surprise packages up Pakistan's sleeve which can challenge the in-form team Down Under.

"The team we have selected has been chosen with that in mind, and we have a number of surprise packages in our team that we feel confident will be able to challenge Australia. Be that T20Is or Test cricket, you will see young, exciting players. My message is clear: we want youngsters to get a chance, we believe in them and they are our future. If you go to Australia and want to compete, you have to have firepower in the fast-bowling department. We aren't just going to compete, we are going to win, and we are confident these boys will perform."

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Pakistan squads

T20Is

Babar Azam (capt), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Musa Khan, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz

Tests

Azhar Ali (capt), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Musa Khan, Nasim Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah

The first T20I will be played on the 3rd of November in Sydney, followed by matches in Canberra on the 5th of November and Perth on the 8th of November. The Test matches take place in Brisbane from 21st to 25th of November and Adelaide from 29th November to 3rd December.

Also see – World Test Championship points table