Pakistan announce 17-player squad for first Test against South Africa

KARACHI (92 News) - Pakistan have announced 17-member squad for the first Test of the two-match series against South Africa.

The team will be led by star batsman Babar Azam and include two former captains in Azhar Ali and Sarfaraz Ahmed.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a 17-player squad for the first test match against South Africa slated to begin January 26 in the metropolis.

Earlier, a 20-member squad was announced for the series but all-rounder Salman Ali Agha, top-order batsman Abdullah Shafique and middle-order batsman Kamran Ghulam could not make it to the final squad.

However, as per the press release by the Pakistan Cricket Board, all the three players will remain in the team bubble for the first Test.

The series opener will begin from January 26 at the National Stadium in Karachi whereas the second Test will begin from February 04, 2021.

The playing XI will be finalised by Pakistan Cricket Team (PCT) captain Babar Azam with consultations with the head coach.

The 17-player squad is as follows:

Openers: Abid Ali and Imran Butt

Middle-order batsmen: Azhar Ali,  Babar Azam, Fawad Alam and Saud Shakeel

All-rounders: Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Nawaz

Wicketkeepers: Mohammad Rizwan and Sarfaraz Ahmed

Spinners: Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan and Yasir Shah

Fast bowlers: Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Tabish Khan