Babar Azam will lead Pakistan in the November Test series as three uncapped batters earn maiden selections and Salman Ali Agha returns to the squad.
LAHORE, Pakistan – WEB DESK: Pakistan have dropped former Test captain Shan Masood from their initial squad for the upcoming two-match home Test series against Sri Lanka, as selectors introduce three new batters to the national side.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a 14-member squad on Saturday, October 24, with Babar Azam retaining the captaincy for the ICC World Test Championship series scheduled for November.
Sameer Minhas, Mohammad Taha and Mohammad Suleman have received their maiden Test call-ups following performances in domestic cricket. All three are uncapped at Test level.
Three batters earn maiden Test selections
Taha, 26, has been among the leading performers in the President’s Trophy Grade-I competition. According to the PCB, he has scored 730 runs in seven matches, including three centuries, with a highest score of 225.
Suleman has accumulated 652 runs in the same tournament, also registering three centuries. Minhas, playing his first first-class season, has scored 405 runs in seven matches after previously impressing with Pakistan’s Under-19 side.
The selections give Pakistan additional batting options as the team prepares for the next stage of its World Test Championship campaign.
Salman Ali Agha and Ali Usman recalled
All-rounder Salman Ali Agha and left-arm spinner Ali Usman have returned to the Test squad after being released during Pakistan’s tour of England earlier this year.
Pakistan lost that three-match series 3-0. The new squad retains several players from the previous group while introducing fresh options in the batting department.
Masood’s omission comes after reports that he sustained a calf injury while playing domestic cricket. However, the PCB’s squad announcement did not specify the reason for leaving him out, so the selection decision should not be attributed solely to the injury.
Pakistan’s Test squad for Sri Lanka
The initial 14-member squad is:
- Babar Azam (captain)
- Abdullah Fazal
- Ali Usman
- Arafat Minhas
- Azan Awais
- Mohammad Abbas
- Mohammad Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper)
- Mohammad Suleman
- Mohammad Taha
- Razaullah
- Saad Baig (wicketkeeper)
- Salman Ali Agha
- Sameer Minhas
- Saud Shakeel
The PCB said two fast bowlers would be added from the PCB Patron’s XI after the three-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka Test series schedule
The tour will begin with a three-day warm-up match in Islamabad from November 4 to 6.
The first Test is scheduled for Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from November 9 to 13, followed by the second Test at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium from November 17 to 21. Both matches form part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025–27.
Pakistan will use the series to assess a reshaped squad featuring several domestic performers alongside established international players.
