(Source X)
Pakistan captain Shan Masood has finally addressed the choice to include four pacers in the Playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh. The team’s lineup was announced just two days before the match at Rawalpindi.
It was notably surprising that Abrar Ahmed, the sole specialist spinner in Pakistan’s squad, was left out of the Test. Instead, Pakistan opted for four specialist fast bowlers and one spin-bowling all-rounder, Agha Salman.
This decision has faced substantial criticism from former cricketers Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal, who argued that it hampers the development of spinners.
Abrar Ahmed has played six Tests for Pakistan, claiming 38 wickets and achieving two five-wicket hauls.
Shan Masood clarifies the decision to leave out a spinner for the first Test against Bangladesh.
At a pre-match press conference, Shan Masood detailed the rationale behind Pakistan’s decision to field an all-pace attack for the first Test in Rawalpindi.
Masood explained that the conditions at Rawalpindi are not conducive to spin, even in domestic matches, and Pakistan’s strategy reflects this understanding.
“In Rawalpindi, whenever we have played domestic cricket, the conditions have favored the seamers and the batters. Spin-bowling hasn’t been such big threat. So we want to take what we do in domestic cricket forward rather than applying something new, which we don’t normally get in Rawalpindi,” Masood said.
Typically, Rawalpindi’s conditions favor batting, but as the ball ages, fast bowlers can exploit reverse swing.
Pakistan’s choice to exclude a spinner might also stem from the ongoing challenge of developing a Test-quality spinner since Yasir Shah’s decline in form.
Abrar Ahmed has been released to join Pakistan Shaheens.
For this Test, Pakistan has selected four fast bowlers: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Ali, and Khurram Shehzad. Abrar Ahmed, who was initially expected to play as the sole spinner, has been released to join Pakistan Shaheens for their second match against Bangladesh A. He will return for the second Test in Rawalpindi starting August 30.
With Abrar absent, Agha Salman will contribute his off-spin, having claimed 12 wickets in 12 Tests. However, the primary responsibility will fall on the fast bowlers.
This marks only the second time in 28 years that Pakistan has fielded an all-pace attack in a Test, the previous instance being in 2019 against Sri Lanka when Test cricket returned to Pakistan after a decade-long hiatus.
Playing XI for the 1st Test
Shan Masood (C), Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel (VC), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shehzad, and Mohammad Ali
