Pakistan’s stalwart batter Babar Azam is set to play at the number four spot in their upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, sources told Geo News on Thursday.
The sources told Geo News that Abdullah Shafiq’s position in the team as an opener is “not under threat,” and captain Shan Masood will bat at the number three spot.
Apart from opening, Babar has featured in the number three spot in limited-over cricket. However, the trend started to change in red-ball cricket during Pakistan’s tour of Australia last year.
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In 2022, during Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka, Babar came out to bat in the number three spot. Later in the year, Babar featured in the number three spot during the second Test against England. But Babar has been shifted to the number four spot in Pakistan’s batting set-up.
The sources also said that batter Muhammad Huraira is a strong candidate to make his debut for Pakistan against Bangladesh.
While talking about Pakistan’s bowling line-up, the sources said that the pitch will be suited for bowlers. As a result, Pakistan will field three fast bowlers and one spinner.
“Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and the third fast bowler will be Mir Hamza,” the sources told Geo News.
The two-match Test series will kick off on August 21 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The two Tests against Bangladesh will mark the first assignment of Jason Gillespie as Pakistan’s Test coach.
The second Test of the two-match series is set to be played from August 30 to September 3 in Karachi.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Wednesday that spectators will not be allowed during the second Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh due to ongoing renovations at Karachi’s National Stadium.
Test squads:
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mahmudullah, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan. Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed and Khaled Ahmed.