Pakistan announce squad for the 1st Test against West Indies

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today announced the 14-man Pakistan Test squad for the 1st match against the touring West Indies team to be played at the Dubai International Stadium from October 13. It is a historic match since this will be the first time both the teams will feature in a Day-Night Test encounter and will also be the first Test with the pink ball in the subcontinent.

Misbah-ul-Haq led side will try to push ahead with their impressive run in the longest format of the game having pulled off a spectacular run in England earlier this year. The morale of the side will be high after the return of Mohammad Amir who has also done well in the games that he has played.

With Amir bowling the way he is, doesn’t look like he ever was out of tough. Wahab Riaz’s form in the ODIs will make him even more lethal considering he loves to challenge the bowlers and with the pink ball he will have some assistance as well.

Top order batsman Babar Azam who was sensational in the ODI series scoring three centuries in as many games has been rewarded with a place in the Test team and in all likelihood will also feature in the starting XI. All-rounder Mohammad Nawaz who also did well in the ODI series has also been named in the squad.

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Pace has always been Pakistan’s strength but the biggest threat in the Pakistani bowling lineup is the most unnoticeable man when around, the leg-spinner Yasir Shah. In the few games played with the pink ball we have seen that it doesn’t just swing but turns as well and given that the series is played in the subcontinent Yasir will be the biggest and the determining factor.

Veteran Younis Khan, unfortunately, misses out though he recovered from dengue needs time to be fit to play Test cricket again. His unavailability was conveyed well before the selectors met to take the call. “Younis has informed chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq that he won’t able to play the first Test,” a PCB spokesperson was quoted by ESPNcricinfo saying.

Pakistan Test squad for the 1st Test against West Indies:

Misbah-ul-Haq (C), Sami Aslam, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Sarfraz Ahmed, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Khan, Rahat Ali, Imran Khan, Zulfiqar Babar

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