PAK vs SL: Pakistan's star pacer Shaheen Afridi is set to make a return to the Test format as Pakistan Cricket Board on Saturday announced the team for the Sri Lanka tour. PCB have named a 16-men squad for the Lanka tour which features a blend of young and experienced hands. Meanwhile, the Board has also appointed former Proteas speedster Morne Morkel to their coaching staff on a six-month contract.
Shaheen Afridi suffered a knee injury last year in the Sri Lanka Test series and was out of action for quite some time. He was part of Pakistan's T20 World Cup 2022 final team that went down to England in an epic clash in Australia. Afridi now looks to add to his wickets tally and scalp 100 wickets in the longest format.
"After missing our entire home season because of the injury I suffered in Sri Lanka, I am eager to make an impactful comeback in the same country and complete a century of wickets in Test cricket," Shaheen said after being picked.
Young players receive a maiden call
The Pakistan team will be featuring a blend of experienced and young players. While Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Sarfaraz Ahmed among others are experienced hands, there are a couple of youngsters getting their maiden Test call. Young players Muhammad Huraira and Aamir Jamal have received their maiden-call-ups for the Test format. Also, PCB have appointed Morkel as their bowling coach for a six-month contract.
Earlier, there were reports that Afridi can be rested for the Sri Lanka Tests as part of workload management in an ODI World Cup year. The Men in Green will be playing a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka and the series will kick start their WTC campaign in the third cycle.
Pakistan's squad for Test series:
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi and Shan Masood.
