Pakistan Under-19 batting sensation Haider Ali has been named in the extended 29-player squad for the Asian nation’s tour of England. Pakistan are scheduled to travel to England to play three Tests and three T20Is in August and September
However, batsman Haris Sohail pulled out of the tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while bowler Mohammad Amir will not travel to England so he can be at the birth of his second child in August.
Pakistani head coach and chief selector, Misbah-ul-Haq said the selection was made, keeping one eye on the future.
“The players have also been selected with one eye on the future. I want these players to acquire as much cricket knowledge as possible from the additional backroom staff of Mushtaq Ahmed and Younis Khan that can help them post the England tour.”
Pakistan recalled fast bowler Sohail Khan, who played his last Test match in December 2016, while also naming four reserve players – Bilal Asif, Imran Butt, Musa Khan and Mohammad Nawaz- in case anyone fails the pre-tour coronavirus testing.
Talking about the tour, Pakistani head coach Misbah-ul-Haq expects it to be a tough affair for his side, who haven’t played competitive cricket since March, while England are scheduled to play West Indies before Pakistan’s visit.
“The series against England will be challenging as our players have not played any competitive cricket since March, while the home team will come following a series against the West Indies. This means we will have to hit the ground running as soon as we land in England and make the best use of the training sessions and match practice before we enter the first Test.”
Pakistan 29-man squad for England tour:
Azhar Ali (Test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.