Pakistan Cricket team captain Sarfraz Ahmed said on Saturday that the Sri Lankan side would give the greens ‘a tough time.’
Speaking at a press conference, the skipper said that the retirement of senior players Younis Khan and Misbahul Haq has left a void – and the team will miss their presence in coming tours. “Misbah took the test team to number one spot and I will try to do my captaincy like him,” adding that he thought that captaincy was a challenge for him.
Sarfraz said that Yasir Shah was fit to play the coming series and would play a pivotal role in the test series. He added that the players and management were on the same page and chief selector Inzamamul Haq always gives importance to the captain’s opinions. The Test squad, announced on Saturday, comprised of five uncapped players.
Leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who put to rest fitness concerns after he nailed the fitness tests on Saturday, was selected in the squad, along with Azhar Ali, who has been struggling with a troubled knee but was cleared to play with the help of injections.
Addressing a press conference, chief selector Inzamamul Haq announced the names of the 16 players in the squad, which includes a combination of five fast bowlers and two specialist spinners. Batsmen Haris Sohail and Usman Salahuddin have both played one-day internationals for Pakistan but are yet to make their Test debuts.
Spin-bowling all-rounder Bilal Asif and left-arm Mohammad Asghar were the other players in the squad yet to play in Tests. The chief selector said that he wanted to give maximum opportunity to the youngsters to showcase their talent in the series.
Squad
Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed (C, WK), Usman Salahuddin, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Abbas, Bilal Asif, Mir Hamza and Wahab Riaz.
