Pakistan announces 12-member squad for second Test vs Bangladesh

Pakistan have announced their 12-member squad for the second Test against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has been dropped from the match as head coach Jason Gillespie confirmed that the cricketer is “working on some things” to improve his game.

Abrar Ahmed and Mir Hamza made their return to the team as the hosts are planning to use spinners more after 10-wicket bashing in the first Test. Their return to the team is also an indication that the game will be played on a similar surface, where the spinners will be expected to play an important part. Meanwhile, Gillespie stated that the squad was picked based on the conditions and they will evaluate further to finalise their playing XI on the morning of August 30.

“Abrar Ahmed was included in the 12-member squad based on our assessment of the conditions. We have yet to see the pitch; we’ll evaluate the conditions tomorrow morning,” Gillespie was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.

Gillespie also shared an update on Shaheen, who recently became a father. The former Australia international stated that the management chatted with Shaheen and the pacer understood the reason behind dropping him from the second Test. He was also given feedback after picking two wickets in the first Test.

“Shaheen’s missed out this game. We’ve had a good conversation with him, and he fully understands and appreciates the thinking behind it. Shaheen’s been given some feedback. He’s working on some things with his bowling to be as effective as he possibly can be. He’s working really well with Azhar Mahmood. We want to see Shaheen at his best because we’ve got a lot of cricket in all formats and Shaheen’s going to play a really big role in that,” Gillespie said.

The 49-year-old also added that Shaheen has been given a break to allow him to spend some time with his family. “Shaheen’s had an interesting last couple of weeks,” Gillespie said. “He’s a new father. We’re seeing an opportunity where we’re able to allow him to go and spend some time with his family as well,” Gillespie said.

Pakistan’s XII for second Test

Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Mir Hamza