- Pakistan’s Sri Lanka Test squad: Salman Agha back, Rizwan still out Pakistan has recalled Salman Agha and Ali Usman for the two-Test home series against Sri Lanka, while Mohammad Rizwan remains out after the England tour debacle.
- Salman Ali Agha.
- (Photo Source: Stu Forster/) Pakistan have named a 14-man squad for the two-Test home series against Sri Lanka, with Salman Agha recalled on Saturday.
Pakistan’s Sri Lanka Test squad: Salman Agha back, Rizwan still out Pakistan has recalled Salman Agha and Ali Usman for the two-Test home series against Sri Lanka, while Mohammad Rizwan remains out after the England tour debacle.
Salman Ali Agha. (Photo Source: Stu Forster/) Pakistan have named a 14-man squad for the two-Test home series against Sri Lanka, with Salman Agha recalled on Saturday. However, goalkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan continues to fail to find a place in the team, extending his absence which began midway through the England tour.
Agha and Rizwan were among seven Pakistan players sent off during the Test series in England in August, a season the visitors lost 3-0. This is Agha’s first return to the Test setup since this tour. Left-arm spinner Ali Usman was also brought back into the squad after being sent back from the England tour ahead of the third and final Test of the series.
Babar Azam will continue to lead the team in both games. The first test is scheduled from November 9th to 13th in Rawalpindi, the second will follow from November 17th to 21st in Lahore. Both matches are part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, with Pakistan currently occupying the ninth and final spot in the rankings while Sri Lanka are seventh.
Why does Mohammad Rizwan remain excluded from the Pakistan Test team? In Pakistan’s first Test team since the England tour, five players remain out of favor from that tour and Rizwan is one of them. His exclusion has a special dimension that goes beyond the disciplinary consequences from England: the goalkeeper-batsman is currently the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Pakistan Cybercrime Authority.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has not publicly announced when he might be considered for international selection again. Earlier this week, the PCB allowed Rizwan to take part in a domestic match, which was a partial relaxation of restrictions imposed on him. Despite this clearance at the national level, the selectors decided not to extend his availability to the Test team for the Sri Lanka series.
Which uncped players are in the Pakistan squad for the Sri Lanka Tests? The 14-man squad includes three unranked batters who have caught the attention of selectors with their performances in domestic cricket. Mohammad Taha, Sameer Minhas and Mohammad Suleman have each been named to the Test squad for the first time, reflecting the intention to evaluate new players as Pakistan attempts to climb a foot up the World Test Championship rankings.
Sri Lanka, ranked seventh, will pose a real challenge at both venues. Pakistan’s full squad for two-Test series against Sri Lanka Babar Azam (Ctain), Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Ghazi Ghori, Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Taha, Razaullah, Saad Baig, Salman Agha, Sameer Minhas, Saud Shakeel. Two pacers will be added to the national squad of the PCB Patron team that will take on Sri Lanka in a warm-up match at the Islamabad Club from November 4-6.
