RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood on Tuesday, broke silence on left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq’s future in Test cricket.
Imam, who was a regular part of Pakistan’s Test side since their tour to Australia in late 2023, was left out of the Pakistan squad for the two-match home series against Bangladesh, starting Wednesday.
The left-handed opener was replaced by batting prodigy Saim Ayub with another youngster Mohammad Huraira another contender for the opening slot.
Meanwhile, Shan Masood, while addressing the pre-series press conference here emphasized Imam-ul-Haq being still part of the team’s plans and also that the opener was “rested” for the Bangladesh series.
“Imam-ul-Haq is part of the plan but not part of the squad,” Shan Masood responded to a question about the squad selection.
“Imam-ul-Haq has been rested for the Bangladesh series.”
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Shan Masood further responded to queries regarding Pakistan’s Playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh which included Saim Ayub over Huraira and Mohammad Ali over Mir Hamza.
He insisted that it can not be said if one bowler is better than the other but that the decisions were made considering the conditions.
“Mohammad Huraira has been scoring runs in domestic cricket for the past three or four years,” he said.
“We chose Mohammad Ali because of the surprise element we witnessed in the Pakistan Super League (PSL),” the left-handed batter said.
“Saim played well in the second innings of the Sydney Test. He seems to be in good form and should be given consistent opportunities.”
Pakistan’s Playing XI for the first Bangladesh Test: Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Ali.
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