Pakistan Includes These Two Reserve Players For 3 Tests vs England

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made some changes in their squad, which will take on England this late autumn for the three Test matches. They haven’t enjoyed a great time in the format recently, having lost the two-match red-ball series against Bangladesh at home with a 2-0 margin and looked poor in all departments of the game.

Pakistan has been going through a very tough time across formats. Since winning their away red-ball series in Sri Lanka, they haven’t been able to find the same momentum back in their game. They failed to earn success in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India before losing the Test series in Australia despite a change of captaincy where Shan Masood was handed over the leadership duties.

The year didn’t put a great impression on their game either, as they were knocked out from the group stage of the Men’s T20 World Cup with two back-to-back defeats at the start against co-host United States of America and India.

Mohammad Ali and Kamran Ghulam to join Pakistan for three Tests vs England

PCB has declared that two reserve players, Kamran Ghulam, and Mohammad Ali, have been added to the squad for the three Test matches against England, while the leg-spinner Zahir Mahmood will join the pre-Test camp in Multan as the 16th player before the final squad of the side will be trimmed to 15 for the opening game, which starts on October 07.

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The official announcement came after the end of the ongoing Champions One-day Cup in the country, as the two veterans of the side, Babar Azam and Shan Masood, have already left for the training sessions.

“Kamran Ghulam and Mohammad Ali will remain on reserve but will continue playing domestic matches to stay match-ready. All three players are part of the Pakistan Test team setup, but 15 players are sufficient for the home Test series due to cricketing and logistical reasons.” The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made the statement.

The 28-year-old Kamran Ghulam, who is yet to make a Test debut for the Pakistan side, is yet to feature in a Test match for the national country, having been part of only one 50-over game at the international stage.

The right-handed batter has smashed 4377 runs in first-class cricket in 98 innings at an average of nearly 50 with a strike rate of 53.04, besides celebrating 16 centuries and 20 half-centuries and a best score of 166-run knock. The left-arm spinner has also picked up 28 wickets at 45.92.

The 31-year-old fast bowler, Mohammad Ali, has been part of four Test matches for Pakistan, where he has picked up six scalps at an average of around 70 with a strike rate of more than 17 overs. In 43 FC games, the pacer has bagged 152 wickets at an average of under 27 and a strike rate of 26.33.

The leg-spinner featured in two Tests for the national side in Rawalpindi and Multan last time, when England made the trip to the country. He picked up 12 wickets in four innings at an average of 36.16 and a strike rate of 31.2 with a best of 4/235 in 33 overs of the innings.

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When it comes to his 67 first-class games, the 36-year-old has managed 214 wickets at an average of 36.47 with a strike rate of over nine overs thanks to his eight five-wicket hauls with a best figure of 6/57.

To ensure full focus on the series, the selected players for the Tests have been taken away from the One-day Cup, as all the games will be part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25.