Misbah names young pace bowlers for T20, Test series against Australia – Sport

The selection chief and head coach, Misbahul Haq, announced on Monday the 16-member squadrons for the upcoming Twenty20 and Test against Australia series at a press conference in Lahore.

The T20 team will be led by batter Babar Azam, while the test team will be led by Azhar Ali.

Speaking to reporters, Misbah said that the only way to defeat Australia was to "play aggressive cricket" and the board while selecting players for the team had taken it into account.

He said the board included some "young and exciting" players in both the 20 envelope format and the test series.

The T20 team will travel to Sydney on October 26 and play a warm-up game on October 31 before the series.

The test team players will depart for Perth after the fifth round of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, which will be played from October 28 to 31. The test team will play two warm-up matches before the series begins.

Pakistan will play three T20 against Australia, the first of which will take place on November 3 in Sydney. The second T20 will be played in Canberra on November 5, while the third in Perth on November 8.

The first test will be played from November 21 to 25 in Brisbane, while the second will be held in Adelaide from November 29 to December 3.

As announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) previously, Sarfaraz Ahmed was not included in any of the squads. Fast bowler Hasan Ali was also excluded because he is under a rehabilitation program after his back injury.
Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad, who had been included in the T20 team for the series against Sri Lanka, have also been excluded. The selection chief also decided to keep Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik out of the squads.

The equipment for the 20 envelope format includes: Babar Azam (c), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imamul Haq, Shadab Khan, Moosa Khan, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan, Wahab Riaz, Khushdil Shah and Usman Qadir

The squad for the Test series includes: Azhar Ali (c), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imamul Haq, Imran Khan senior, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Moosa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Yasir Shah

Sarfaraz elimination due to poor condition

Speaking about the elimination of Sarfaraz, Misbah said that the only reason for the removal of the former captain of the T20 and Test squads was his bad form.

"Strange theories are appearing in the media [regarding Sarfaraz’s removal]. It is a simple thing.

"We have always backed Sarfaraz. He is a good enough player, he has done a lot for Pakistan […] but this decision [to remove him] was taken due to its recent form. "

Speaking about Sarfaraz's future, he said: "I think it's just a matter of regaining his form. As soon as his form is restored. I think the doors are open. There is no conspiracy or anything like that. It's something simple. I think it's a clear message for Sarfaraz and others too. "