Pakistan’s Test Squad for the series against England at UAE has just been announced. The thing about the squad is consistency. Misbah’s captaincy has not just brought a solid combination and better bench-strength but the players themselves are confident and willing to perform. It is almost the same squad as the one in the series against Bangladesh but the new additions to the squad include the returns of Umar Akmal and Wahab Riaz who was just recently cleared by the ICC to play International Cricket. Muhammad Talha has interested the selectors into giving him a place in the squad as well. The only exclusion from the squad is Shoaib Malik who seems to have the sense to bat. Junaid Khan is also considered for the squad but his inclusion depends solely on his fitness. He hasn’t played since the first Test Match against Sri Lanka in the UAE where he tore a muscle in the abdominal area.
The squad looks well balanced and considering the confidence Pakistan has acquired from winning six straight series will be huge. Apart from that, with the little rest the team has had, their fitness will be tested big time. The series against England will the real deal for Pakistanis who have been clawing their way up the rankings. Most people believe the reason for Pakistan’s success in the ranking is weak oppositions. Well, let’s just see how this series ends up but one thing’s for sure, it promises to be a closely competing one.
Pakistan’s Squad: Muhammad Hafeez, Taufeez Umar, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah Ul Haq (Captain), Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Adnan Akmal (WK), Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Muhammad Talha, Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman.
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