Selectors name Babar Azam captain of West Indies, England Test squads

Staff Report

LAHORE: Babar Azam has been named captain of the Test squads for the tours of both West Indies and England, the Pakistan Men’s National Selection Committee announced on Sunday. A 16-member squad has been named for the West Indies series, while a 17-member squad has been announced for the England series. The announcement was made during a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday, while the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the squad lineup in a press release. Pakistan will play a two-match Test series against the West Indies from July 25 to August 6, followed by a three-match Test series in England from August 19 to September 13. The PCB statement added that left-arm spinner Ali Usman, right-handed batter Muhammad Awais Zafar, right-arm fast bowler Ubaid Shah and wicket-keeper batter Muhammad Ghazi Ghori are the uncapped players in the squad. Previously, sources had reported that several key decision-makers were not in favour of either reinstating Azam as captain or handing the additional responsibility of Test leadership to T20 skipper Salman Ali Agha. In February, Azam was moved down the batting order for Pakistan’s final T20 World Cup group game against Namibia for scoring too slowly. He returned to form in April, however, with a blistering century off 52 balls driving Peshawar Zalmi to victory during the Pakistan Super League match against the Quetta Gladiators.

16-member squad (in alphabetical order) for West Indies series:

Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah.

17-member squad (in alphabetical order) for England series:

Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness), Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah.