Pakistan vs Sri Lanka: Aamir Jamal back as PCB revises Test squad
The PCB has added Aamir Jamal and three uncapped players and released Abdullah Fazal and Ali Usman a day before the Rawalpindi Test against Sri Lanka.
Pakistan have reshuffled their Test squad on the eve of the series against Sri Lanka. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday added fast-bowling all-rounder Aamir Jamal and three uncapped players, and released Abdullah Fazal and Ali Usman, two weeks after naming the original squad. The first Test starts in Rawalpindi on Monday, 9 November.
Who is in, who is out
The four new names are Aamir Jamal, Ali Shabbir, Saqib Khan and Muhammad Tayyab Arif. Jamal is the only one with international experience: nine Tests, three ODIs and six T20Is. The other three are in line for their first Test caps.
Abdullah Fazal and Ali Usman have been released from the 14-member squad announced in October, when we reported the first set of uncapped call-ups. With four in and two out, the squad now has 16 players. Babar Azam stays captain.
Mohammad Rizwan is still not in the squad. He was left out of the original selection too, and the revision has not changed that.
Why the change
The PCB did not give a detailed reason. The changes come after a three-day warm-up match, and according to media reports the team management has told players that a green, grass-covered pitch is being prepared in Rawalpindi, which would favour seamers like Jamal over a spinner like Usman, who bowled only five overs in that warm-up. That pitch claim has not been officially confirmed.
The decision to drop Usman so soon after he returned to the squad will be debated; he was given very little chance to show what he could do.
The schedule
- 1st Test: Rawalpindi, 9 to 13 November
- 2nd Test: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 17 to 21 November
With three possible debutants in the squad, the first morning in Rawalpindi will tell us a lot about how the selectors want this side to play at home.
