RAWALPINDI: Aamer Jamal, an all-around player, will not be included in Pakistan’s starting lineup for the opening game of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which begins on Wednesday.
Aamer, who made an impression in his Test debut series against Australia during the team’s December–January tour of Australia, was left off of the Pakistan squad and was not allowed to play in the opening match on Monday.
Aamer was originally included on the roster “subject to fitness clearance,” however the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) stated that he “has been advised to work on his fitness at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore” while he heals from a back injury he sustained while playing county cricket this year.
In three Test matches against Australia, Aamer claimed 18 wickets while displaying respectable batting skills against the hosts’ seasoned bowling attack.
Pacer Muhammad Ali, who will only play in his third Test having playing in his first two against England in 2022, has replaced him.
Ali, who has made a comeback to the national team thanks to steady performances during the past two domestic seasons, will be a part of the pace assault led by Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah from Pakistan.
Khurram Shahzad, a right-arm fast bowler from Pakistan, also put up a respectable performance in his maiden match against Australia before being hurt and coming back later.
In order to go with an all-pace assault, Pakistan, captained by Shan Masood, did not bring a specialist spinner for the first Test. As a result, the Pindi Cricket Stadium’s playing surface is expected to be a fast-bowling haven.
Saim Ayub was chosen by Shan and the team management, under the direction of head coach Jason Gillespie, to start with Abdullah Shafique instead of Mohammad Huraira.
Pakistan’s middle order will be composed of the usual suspects, including Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakil, and Babar Azam.
BD STARTED TO IMPROVE FAITH
Unlike Pakistan, Bangladesh’s team consists of two specialist spinners, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam, in addition to veteran spin-bowling all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.
However, head coach Chandika Hathurusingha of the visiting side expressed faith in players like as Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, and Hasan Mahmud by saying that his team had trustworthy pacers as well.
Regarding Pakistan’s selection process, Hathurusinga remarked, “Looking at their selection, they haven’t picked many spinners.” We have produced a number of excellent fast bowlers in our ranks recently.
If the circumstances allow it, we have some good quick bowlers. In any case, we have two world-class all-rounders who bowl with spin.
In the head coach’s opinion, Bangladesh should have chosen their best spinner based on merit, independent of the circumstances that were anticipated in Rawalpindi.
He said, “We anticipated that the wickets in Pakistan would differ from those in Bangladesh.” “We didn’t just pick the spinners based on the conditions; we did it on merit.”
Throughout the series, Hathurusingha did hope for a balance between bat and ball.
“We play on result-oriented pitches at home, where a winning score of 250 is not uncommon,” he said. It goes without saying that hitters have difficulties when facing such deliveries. I’m hoping that Pakistani pitches are usually fantastic for batting, as it makes for an entertaining battle between the bat and the ball. Our goal is to do better in these kinds of pitches.
