RAWALPINDI: The captain of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) – Iftikhar Ahmed and fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr, has replaced Hassan Ali and Faheem Ashraf in Pakistan’s Test squad for the first match of the three-match series against Australia.
Iftikhar and Wasim Jr, who are chosen due to their all-round ability will replace Hasan and Faheem in the Rawalpindi Test squad as the latter two have been ruled out of the first Test due to injuries.
Both Wasim and Iftikhar will reach Islamabad tonight and will only be able to join the squad after completing a mandatory three-day isolation period. Whereas, Hasan and Faheem will rejoin the squad in the coming week after following the same protocols.
According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s released statement, Hasan and Faheem are expected to regain full fitness before the second Test that will be played in Karachi from March 12 to March 16.
15-player squad: Babar Azam (captain) (Central Punjab), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Abdullah Shafique (Central Punjab), Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Haris Rauf (Northern), Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Nauman Ali (Northern), Sajid Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Saud Shakeel (Sindh), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Shan Masood (Balochistan) and Zahid Mahmood (Sindh)
READ: Babar Azam joins practice session for the home series against Australia
