Pakistan national cricket team has announced the squad that will take part in the first match of the three-match Test series against England national cricket team. Shan Masood, who was under surveillance, has been retained as captain and will lead a 15-member strong squad.

Pakistan and England will face each other in a three-match Test series, which will also be part of the ICC World Test Championship. The first match of the series will be held from October 7 to 11 at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan.

Pakistan’s squad for the first Test against England is pretty much the same as the one they fielded in the recently concluded two-match Test series against the Bangladesh National Cricket Team, barring a few changes. Khurram Shahzad, who shone with the ball in the last series, will miss the series due to injury.

Instead, Pakistan’s national cricket team included left-handed spinner Noman Ali, who has taken 47 wickets in 15 Tests. Not only that, but young players Kamran Ghulam and Mohammad Ali, who were part of the squad for the Bangladesh Tests, were dropped from the team just after one series.

However, the Pakistan Cricket Board mentioned that the duo is being highly considered but due to lack of space, they were not named in the squad. They have been asked to continue playing in the Champions Cup followed by the President’s Cup. The governing body’s statement read:

“Kamran Ghulam and Mohammad Ali, who were part of the squad for the Bangladesh Tests, remain firmly in the selectors’ plans. However, due to the selection policy’s emphasis on consistency and continuity, and the belief that 15 players are sufficient for a Test,

“They have been advised and encouraged to continue representing their teams in the Champions One-Day Cup and President’s Cup, starting from 3 October, to ensure they remain fit for competitive cricket matches.”

Here is Pakistan’s squad for the first Test against England:

Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (goalkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (goalkeeper) and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

The players, who have been called up by Pakistan for the opening match against England, will not take part in the Champions One-Day Cup playoffs. The PCB has advised them to rest on the advice of head coach Jason Gillespie.

The Shan Masood-led team will assemble in Multan on September 30 for the Test match and will begin the training camp on October 1. They will have to prove themselves this time as they suffered a drubbing against the Bangladesh national cricket team and received a lot of criticism.

The last time the Shan Masood-led side faced England in the home Test series, the hosts suffered a 3-0 drubbing. This time, they will want to take revenge and give their fans a reason to celebrate amidst tough times for the team.