Islamabad: Pakistan has recalled left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi to its Test side as it announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming two-match series against South Africa in October.
Shan Masood will lead the team once again as Pakistan begins its ICC World Test Championship campaign. Afridi makes a return after missing the recent Test series against the West Indies earlier this year.
Pace bowler Naseem Shah has been left out, while seasoned batsmen Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are included in the squad, which will be trimmed before the first Test, starting in Lahore on October 12.
Three players—Asif Afridi, Faisal Akram, and Rohail Nazir—are set to make their Test debuts against the reigning World Test Championship winners.
Pakistan will announce its squad for the subsequent white-ball series at a later date.
Pakistan Test squad: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan, Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Series schedule:
- First Test: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore – October 12-16
- Second Test: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi – October 20-24
