Bilal Asif and Faheem Ashraf back in Pakistan squad for Bangladesh Test
Off-spinner Bilal Asif and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf have been recalled by Pakistan on Saturday for the Test to be held in Rawalpindi, starting next week. Both the Tests are a part of the ongoing World Test Championship contested by the top nine teams with Indian leading the chart with 300 points.
Bilal, who was not selected in the team last year, will be back in the squad after he previously played five Tests against the Kiwis in December 2018. Ashraf, on the other hand, displayed a lot of intent in his debut Test against Ireland in 2018 when he scored 83. Following the Malahide Test, he faced an injury and was not included in the team after the South Africa tour in January last year.Â
Misbah-ul-Haq, the head-coach and the chief selector, expressed that Ashraf did tremendously well in the final of the domestic tournament held two months ago.
“We have this option of playing a pace bowling all-rounder against Bangladesh and Ashraf took five wickets in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy final so we have to select him,” Misbah said, reported Scroll.in.
Bangladesh have accepted to tour Pakistan in three phases and after playing three T20I, they have returned home this week. The first Test starts February 7 in Rawalpindi. Both the Tests are a part of the ongoing World Test Championship contested by the top nine teams with Indian leading the chart with 300 points.
Pakistan Squad: Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Bilal Asif, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Mohmmad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah.Â