PAK vs ENG | Haris Rauf earns maiden call-up for England Tests, Fawad Alam dropped

Fawad Alam, Hasan Ali, and Yasir Shah, who were part of Pakistan’s last Test series in Sri Lanka, were dropped from Pakistan’s 18-player squad for three ICC World Test Championship matches against England, set to begin on December 1 in Rawalpindi. Along with them, Shaheen Shah Afridi was also ruled out of the series as he is currently in rehabilitation following surgery and an injury.

Riding on their excellent first-class performances, spinner Abrar Ahmed and fast bowler Mohammad Ali have been rewarded with maiden Test call-ups. Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Zahid Mehmood, who were part of the Test squad for the three Tests against Australia earlier in the year, have also returned to the side. But the PCB’s most notable inclusion was Haris Rauf, who has yet to debut in red-ball cricket.

“I am confident that this team will ensure that the upcoming Test series against England will end in the same manner as it did when they last toured Pakistan in 2005," PCB’s chief selector Muhammad Wasim told the reporters while making the squad announcement.

Pakistan squad for England Tests: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Abdullah Shafique, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, and Zahid Mehmood.