Saud Shakeel Becomes Vice-Captain as Pakistan Announces Squad for Bangladesh Test Series
Pakistan has promoted Saud Shakeel to the role of vice-captain as the Pakistan Cricket Board announced a 17-player squad for their two-match Test series against Bangladesh that starts later this month. Shakeel takes over from Shaheen Afridi, who will have his workload managed due to a busy schedule ahead.
The promotion of Shakeel to partner skipper Shan Masood is among the biggest surprises from Pakistan’s announcement. This is the first Test series under head coach Jason Gillespie. Notable absentees include Imam-ul-Haq, Hasan Ali, and Mohammad Wasim Jr due to injuries, while Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Noman Ali, and Sajid Khan are also missing.
Pakistan has recalled pace duo Naseem Shah and Mohammad Ali and handed call-ups to batters Mohammad Huraira and Kamran Ghulam for potential Test debuts. Thirteen of the 17 players were involved in Pakistan’s recent Test series in Australia.
The series will commence in Rawalpindi on August 21, with the second test scheduled in Karachi on August 30. Pakistan currently sits in fifth place on the ICC World Test Championship standings and aims for positive results against Bangladesh.
Pakistan Squad:
Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Afridi.
Doubts Revealed
Saud Shakeel -: Saud Shakeel is a cricketer from Pakistan who has been chosen as the vice-captain for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.
Vice-Captain -: A vice-captain is the second-in-command in a cricket team, helping the captain and taking charge if the captain is unavailable.
Test series -: A Test series is a set of cricket matches played between two teams, usually lasting several days each.
Shaheen Afridi -: Shaheen Afridi is a famous Pakistani cricketer known for his fast bowling.
Pakistan Cricket Board -: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is the organization that manages cricket in Pakistan.
Imam-ul-Haq -: Imam-ul-Haq is a Pakistani cricketer who is not included in the squad for this series.
Hasan Ali -: Hasan Ali is another Pakistani cricketer who is also not part of the squad for this series.
Mohammad Wasim Jr. -: Mohammad Wasim Jr. is a young Pakistani cricketer who is not included in the squad for this series.
Naseem Shah -: Naseem Shah is a young fast bowler from Pakistan who is included in the squad.
Mohammad Ali -: Mohammad Ali is a new player in the Pakistani cricket team for this series.
Mohammad Huraira -: Mohammad Huraira is another new player in the Pakistani cricket team for this series.
Kamran Ghulam -: Kamran Ghulam is also a new player in the Pakistani cricket team for this series.
Rawalpindi -: Rawalpindi is a city in Pakistan where the first match of the series will be played.
Karachi -: Karachi is another city in Pakistan where the last match of the series will be played.
