Pak vs Sri Lanka: Pakistan’s star fast bowler Shaheen Afridi is set to make a comeback in the Test format as the Pakistan Cricket Board on Saturday announced the squad for the tour of Sri Lanka. The PCB has announced a 16-member squad for the Lanka tour which has a mix of youngsters and experienced players. Meanwhile, the board has also appointed former South African fast bowler Morne Morkel to its coaching staff on a six-month contract.
Shaheen Afridi suffered a knee injury in the Sri Lanka Test series last year and was out for a long time. He was part of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2022 final squad which lost to England in an epic clash in Australia. Afridi is now looking to add to his wicket tally and reach 100 wickets in the longest format.
After being selected, Shaheen said, “After missing the entire domestic season due to the injury I sustained in Sri Lanka, I am looking forward to making an impressive comeback in the same country and completing a century of wickets in Test cricket.”
Young players get first call
The Pakistan team will have a mix of experienced and young players. Whereas Babar AzamThere are other experienced players like Mohammad Rizwan, and Sarfaraz Ahmed, there are some youngsters who are getting their first Test call. Youngsters Muhammad Huraira and Amir Jamal have received their first call-ups for the Test format. Also, the PCB has appointed Morkel as its bowling coach for a six-month contract.
Earlier, there were reports that Afridi could be rested for the Sri Lanka Test as part of workload management in the ODI World Cup year. The Men in Green will play a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka and begin their WTC campaign in the third round of the series.
Pakistan squad for Test series:
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Amir Jamal, Abdullah Shafiq, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, imam ul haqMohammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi and Shan Masood.