PCB releases Abrar Ahmed and Kamran Ghulam from first Test squad against Bangladesh

The Pakistan Cricket Board has released both the players as they want them to play for the Pakistan Shaheens side for the second Test against the Bangladesh 'A' side

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has released spinner Abrar Ahmed and top-order batter Kamran Ghulam from the Pakistan squad for the first Test. Both the players will now be representing the Pakistan Shaheens for the second 4-day match against Bangladesh ‘A’, which will start at the Islamabad Club on Tuesday, 20 August. Ghulam has been named the skipper of the Pakistan Shaheens for the match.

“The decision has been made after the selectors have opted to go with an all-pace attack in the first ICC World Test Championship match against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on August 21. Instead of benching him for the Test, the selectors named him in the Shaheens squad so that he can gain some match practice ahead of the second Test, which will start in Karachi on August 30,” the PCB said in a release.

This means the Pakistan Test squad has been trimmed to 15 players but will be back to its original 17-player strength for the second Test against Bangladesh that will take place in Karachi as both Abrar and Kamran will rejoin the side.

The likes of Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Saud Shakeel, who were part of the Pakistan Shaheen side, have now joined the Test side.

These 8 players have been replaced in the Shaheens side by Abrar Ahmed, Ali Zaryab Asif, Awais Anwar, Imam Ul Haq, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir and Sharoon Siraj.

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