Shaheen Afridi Dropped, Babar To Bat At Number 4; PAK's Strongest XI For 1st Test Vs ENG

Babar in action Vs England [ICC]

Pakistan, on Tuesday, announced their squad for the upcoming Test series against England, starting on October 7. As expected, most of the players who participated in the Bangladesh series have been retained, and the team management have trusted the same crop of players to deliver against a strong England team.

For the last one-year, Pakistan's Test team has flopped and has failed to win a single Test match under the leadership of Shan Masood. Recently, they were outplayed by the visiting Bangladesh side, who whitewashed Pakistan in their own backyard to win the series 2-0.

The team has already crashed out of the race for the WTC finale race, and will be looking to salvage some pride against an England side who thrashed them 3-0, the last time these two teams met in Pakistan. So, with the Pakistan squad announced, we look at their strongest XI, with a couple of surprises in store.

Shaheen Afridi to be dropped; pressure on Babar, Masood

In the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, Shaheen only played the first match and picked up just two wickets as the team lost the match by 10-wickets. As a result of his poor showing, Shaheen was dropped from the second Test match.

Despite getting selected in the squad for the England Tests, there is a chance that Shaheen could be benched for the first Test. The team already has three quality pacers in Naseem Shah, Mir Hamza and Aamir Jamal, and the trio should be selected to tackle the English batters.

Plus, Jamal had a stellar series against Australia Down Under, and should be rewarded with a place in the playing XI. Meanwhile, Babar, who has been in poor form as of late, should bat at number 4, and Pakistan will hope that he gets back amongst the run-getter.

The Pressure will also be on captain Shan Masood, who hasn't done anything significant since becoming the Test captain. He'll bat at number 3, and with Babar at 4, Mohammad Rizwan will be slotted at 5, followed by Saud Shakeel.

Salman Ali Agha will have the responsibility to spearbhead the spin attack, and his job becomes crucial, considering that England batters will target the spin bowlers.

PAK's strongest XI For 1st Test VS ENG

Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Abrar Ahmed, Mir Hamza, Aamir Jamal, Naseem Shah

PAK Squad for 1st Test Vs ENG

Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah Afridi

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