LAHORE, Pakistan, CMC – Pakistan’s selectors have recalled the experienced duo of Younis Khan and Umar Gul in a 15-man squad named to face West Indies in two Tests in the Caribbean later this month.
Younis was dropped for the current five-match one-day series while Gul was rested following a hectic World Cup campaign.
The side, as previously announced, will be led by Misbah-ul Haq who is part of the one-day side already in the Caribbean.
Younis, who has scored over 5 000 runs in Tests at an average of 50, will be a massive boost to the batting while Gul, an incisive fast bowler, has led the seam attack in recent years. Wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman is poised to make his Test debut after being retained for the two-match series. He gets the surprise nod ahead of the 26-year-old Adnan Akmal, who took over from brother Kamran and has taken 16 catches in four Tests.
All-rounder Hammad Azam and left-arm seamer Junaid Khan, members of the touring one-day side, are also set to make their Test debuts after finding favour with selectors.
Teenaged opener Ahmed Shehzad, who scored a century in the second one-dayer in St Lucia, has been overlooked along with Aizaz Cheema and Usman Salahuddin.
One-day captain Shahid Afridi will not play the Test series after retiring from the game’s longest form last year.
Guyana will host the first Test from May 12-16 while the second Test will be played in St. Kitts from May 20-24.
SQUAD – Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Younus Khan, Taufiq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Salman, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Tanvir Ahmed, Junaid Khan, Hammad Azam.
