Published: Oct 10, 2013, 11:00 PM (IST)
Edited: Oct 10, 2013, 11:00 PM (IST)
Ahmed Shehzad is tipped as favourite to make his belated Test debut © AFP
Sharjah: Oct 10, 2013
Pakistani selectors on Thursday included openers Ahmed Shehzad and Shan Masood, and middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq in their final 15-man squad for the two-Test series against South Africa starting next week.
Shehzad and Masood scored attractive half-centuries in the drawn three-day side match for Pakistan ‘A’ against South Africa which ended in Sharjah on Thursday.
The 21-year-old Shehzad is tipped as favourite to make his belated Test debut, having already played 27 one-day and 15 Twenty20 internationals since 2009.
The first Test starts in Abu Dhabi from Monday while the second Test will be played in Dubai from October 23.
Masood, a left-hander, was also part of the squad for the drawn 1-1 Test series against Zimbabwe last month. He made 50 in the Sharjah game.
Shafiq managed 42 on Thursday and was included to support a struggling middle-order.
But there was no place for Umar Akmal who was cleared as fit to play after suffering a seizure while playing in the Caribbean League in July.
Pakistan squad for Test series against South Africa:
Misbah-ul Haq (c), Khurram Manzoor, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Umar Amin, Adnan Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Zulfiqar Babar, Abdul Rehman, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Rahat Ali, Asad Shafiq, Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood.
Pakistan vs South Africa – Live on Ten Cricket
