Sarfaraz Ahmed’s possible selection in the starting XI against New Zealand is hinted to by Shahid Afridi.
Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s newly appointed chief selector, has hinted that pacer Mir Hamza and wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed will both be included in the final XI for the next Test series against New Zealand.
Since the Mohammad Wasim-led selection committee was disbanded after the change in PCB leadership, Najam Sethi, Chairman of the PCB’s Management Committee, nominated Afridi as interim chief selector on Saturday.
First, Afridi consulted with captain Babar Azam the day before he decided to put Hamza, Sajid Khan, and Shahnawaz Dahani in Pakistan’s Test team for the home series.
Afridi told reporters on Sunday that players were included in the squad based on their performances and Pakistan’s strength.
I’ve heard that Naseem Shah is not 100 percent, so the addition of two quick bowlers was welcome. However, Dahani has been on the bench for a while now; when will he finally get his shot?
Afridi explained that the fast bowler Hamza was included because of the absence of Shaheen, and that Hamza deserved to play because of his strong performance.
Afridi agreed with Babar’s focus on the importance of managing players’ workloads, so he spoke in on the subject.
All of our players are active in a wide variety of forms. The former captain has stated that the team’s bench needs to be bolstered so that the absence of one player does not cause any problems.
Babar’s Ambitions
He also said that the team has some veterans sitting on the bench. Tonight, Babar Azam and I will meet to plot our next steps.
Afridi continued by saying that he hopes Babar will join the ranks of the great captains and that he will do everything in his power to help Babar develop into an outstanding leader and batter.
He also emphasized the importance of adopting a fresh strategy in cricket, adding that Pakistan should stop relying on outmoded practices like traditionally preparing pitches.
It’s not beyond of the question that our team can throw as well as South Africa or Australia. It doesn’t make sense to always set up the same slow-turn wickets. We have prepared good wickets before, and we can do it again; we will never rise to the top as a team if we stick to our old ways of doing things.
Research team
The squad included: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahan
Please note the following changes to the December 26-30, 2015 itinerary: the first Test will now be played in Karachi.
Second Test, Karachi, January 2-6.
First One-Day International, Karachi, January 9
Karachi, Pakistan, January 11 for the second One-Day International
Wednesday, January 13: Third One-Day International, Karachi