PCB Confirms All-Pace Attack for First Test Against Bangladesh

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announces an all-pace bowling lineup for the first Test against Bangladesh starting August 21. Spinner Abrar Ahmed and batter Kamran Ghulam were released to participate in a practice game, with the final squad featuring notable pacers like Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed on Saturday that an all-pace bowling lineup will take the field against Bangladesh in the first Test starting August 21. The two-match series' opener will be hosted in Rawalpindi.

According to a press release from the PCB, spinner Abrar Ahmed and top-order batsman Kamran Ghulam were released from the squad to gain match experience during the second practice game between the Pakistan Shaheens, the country's 'A' team, and Bangladesh 'A' from August 20-23.

This leaves the team for the first Test with a pace-heavy attack. The exact composition of the bowling unit remains undisclosed. Seven players from the Shaheens have been called up, including Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, and Naseem Shah. Once the practice game concludes, Abrar and Kamran will rejoin the Test squad.

In the main Test lineup, pacers Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, and Mir Hamza will lead the attack. Part-time bowlers Salman Ali Agha, Saim Ayub, and Saud Shakeel can provide some spin overs. In their last home Test, Pakistan fielded three frontline seamers - Naseem, Hamza, and Hasan Ali - with Abrar as the main spinner.

The second Test of the series is scheduled from August 30 to September 3. With two wins out of five Tests, Pakistan has a point percentage of 36.66 in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle, ranking them below India, Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka.

The Pakistan squad includes: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal (fitness pending), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), and Shaheen Afridi.