(Source X)
The Pakistan National Cricket Team has made a significant adjustment to their lineup for the first Test against Bangladesh. Spinner Abrar Ahmed and debutant top-order batter Kamran Ghulam have been dropped from the squad.
Pakistan will host Bangladesh for a two-match Test series, with the first Test beginning on August 21 in Rawalpindi and the second Test starting on August 30 in Karachi. Both matches are also part of the ICC World Test Championship.
Following his release from the Test squad, Abrar Ahmed will join the Pakistan Shaheens for the second four-day match against Bangladesh ‘A’. This game is scheduled to take place at the Islamabad Club on August 20.
The decision to release Abrar Ahmed from the Test squad comes as the selectors opt for an all-pace attack for the series opener. Instead of keeping him on the bench, they have chosen to allow him to play for Pakistan Shaheens to gain match practice ahead of the second Test.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has issued a statement regarding Abrar Ahmed.
In an official statement, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced:
“Wrist spinner Abrar Ahmed has been released from the Pakistan Test side and he will now represent Pakistan Shaheens in the second four-day match against Bangladesh ‘A’, which will start at the Islamabad Club on Tuesday, 20 August.
“The decision was made after the selectors opted to go with an all-pace attack in the first ICC World Test Championship match against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, 21 August. Instead of benching him for the Test, the selectors named him in the Shaheens squad so that he can gain some match practice ahead of the second Test, which will start in Karachi on 30 August.”
Kamran Ghulam will also join the Pakistan Shaheens for their second four-day match against Bangladesh A, where he has been named captain. The PCB noted that both Ghulam and Abrar Ahmed will rejoin the national team prior to the second Test.
With Abrar Ahmed’s release and Pakistan’s preference for an all-pace attack, the team is set to play on a green pitch. Reports suggest that the pitch curators were instructed to prepare a grassy surface for the Rawalpindi Test, aimed at exploiting Bangladesh’s relative weakness against pace, which could benefit Pakistan.
Additionally, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Saud Shakeel have moved from the Shaheens to the national team for the first Test. Replacing them in the Shaheens squad are Abrar Ahmed, Ali Zaryab Asif, Awais Anwar, Imam Ul Haq, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir, and Sharoon Siraj.
Pakistan Shaheens squad (for the second four-day)
Kamran Ghulam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ali Zaryab, Ghulam Mudassar, Imam-ul-Haq, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Awais Anwar, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir (wicket-keeper), Saad Baig (wicket-keeper), Saad Khan, Sharoon Siraj and Umar Amin
