Pakistan selected fast bowler Mir Hamza among five uncapped players other are spin-bowling all-rounder Bilal Asif and left-arm Mohammad Asghar were the other players in the squad yet to play in tests. Batsmen Haris Sohail and Usman Salahuddin have both played one-day internationals for Pakistan but are yet to make their Test debuts. Left-arm fast bowler Hamza, 25, was picked for his strong domestic form, having claimed 216 wickets in 46 first-class matches.
Opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad, all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, spinner Shadab Khan and Mohammad Rizwan have been dropped from the squad while spinner Yasir Shah staged a comeback after he qualified the fitness test. Shan Masood also recalled. The two teams will also play five one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches.
A notable inclusion in the Test squad is of 31-year old all-rounder Bilal Asif, who has only 15 first-class matches to his credit. He has also represented Pakistan in three ODIs. In the middle-order batting lineup, Haris Sohail and Usman Salahuddin are included in the list to fill the gap left by retirement of experienced duo of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq.
Explaining Yasir Shah and Azhar Ali's selection, who had fitness problems; Inzamam told media in a news conference that both had cleared the test. "We told Yasir that he will not be selected if he does not clear the fitness test," he said, adding: "Even though no bowler has been as successful as Yasir in the Test format, but we had to uphold the standards that were set. Azhar has a cyst in his knee but after taking injections that were prescribed by the doctors; he is fine and can play now."
Chief selector said that in the 16-member squad, five fast bowlers and two specialist spinners are included, as in the UAE, the fast bowlers have to work hard while the spinner would prove to be ideal in UAE conditions. Inzamam said he wants to give maximum opportunity to youngsters to showcase their talent in the series. He said skipper Sarfraz performance remained good and hopefully he would show his talent in the test series.
In an interview Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur expects good competition even from a struggling Sri Lankan team in the UAE playing conditions during the forthcoming series. After the departure of Younis and Misbah, Arthur underlined, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Babar Azam were the guys who could keep the batting department strong for the next four, five years. "We also have good emerging talent in Haris Sohail, Sami Aslam and Usman Salahuddin to keep the batting department strong," he added.
Squad: Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain, wicketkeeper), Usman Salahuddin, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Abbas, Bilal Asif, Mir Hamza and Wahab Riaz.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017