LAHORE: The National Selection Committee led by Haroon Rasheed has recalled opener Ahmed Shahzad to the Pakistan Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka while another opener Shaan Masood has also been brought back.
In naming the Test squad, the selection committee had also consulted with the Pakistan team management including Head Coach Waqar Younis and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq.
Shahzad was axed from the ODI and Test squads for the tour of Bangladesh as Younis hoped to improve his attitude.
The decision was met by severe criticism from experts and fans as they felt Shahzad was one of the genuine match winners in the side.
He was then named in the T20 and ODI squads against Zimbabwe and did well in the shortest format but did not feature in a single ODI on home soil.
The selection committee, however, does not appear keen to follow Younis' lead.
“While selecting the squad, the selection committee considered the following key areas: Suitability to play in varied playing conditions; potential to perform at international level; current form and fitness and performance in the previous tours of Bangladesh and recently concluded Pakistan ‘A’ team’s tour of Sri Lanka; feedback from the team management on the performance of players on Bangladesh tour,” chief selector Rasheed explained.
“Fawad Alam, Sami Aslam and some other players were also under consideration but could not be included but they remain on the selectors radar. Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan and Sohaib Maqsood are continuing rehab after sustaining injuries and it is hoped that they would be available for selection in the near future.”
Pakistan will player Three Tests against the Islanders, followed by five ODIs and two T20Is.
“Selection committee has also kept its options open in case of need for the 16th member keeping in mind the extreme weather conditions in Sri Lanka,” he added.
The 15-member Test squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (Vice-Captain), Misbah-ul-Haq (Captain), Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed (Wicket keeper), Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Imran Khan, Ehsan Adil.
