Sarfaraz named head coach as Pakistan call up four uncapped players for Bangladesh Tests

Pakistan have included four uncapped players including Abdullah Fazal, Azan Awais, Ghazi Ghori, and Amad Butt for their two-Test series against Bangladesh in May. 

Sarfaraz joins as Head coach

These new faces will be joined by Sarfaraz Ahmed as the side’s head coach as he replaces Azhar Mehmood in the role.

He will have Umar Gul and Asad Shafique accompanying him as the bowling and batting coach respectively. Both Sarfaraz, who retired from international cricket last month, and Shafique are also members of the side’s selection committee. 

Unlike the coaching staff, Pakistan have not tweaked their captain, with Shan Masood retained to lead the side as they enter the business end of their World Test Championship (WTC) campaign.

Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, and Aamer Jamal are the notable exclusions from the squad that faced South Africa in October last year.

Pre-tour training camp in Karachi

Players, with the exception of those involved in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL), will participate in a training camp in Karachi, running between April 27 and May 1. Following the conclusion of the camp, the team will fly to Bangladesh on May 2. Players whose teams are in the PSL final on May 3 will link up with the squad after the conclusion of the competition.

The two Tests will be played on May 8 and May 16 in Dhaka and Sylhet respectively. 

Pakistan squad for the Test series in Bangladesh

Shan Masood (capt), Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

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