Amid Criticism, Pakistan Call-Up 37-Year-Old Spinner For 1st England Test

25.09.2024 - 06:29 sports.ndtv.com

Pakistan have named their 15-member squad for the first Test against England set to be played in Multan from October 7, including the 37-year-old spinner Noman Ali in place of an injured pacer, Khurram Shahzad.

Pakistan have included the left-arm spinner Noman for the first Test of the three-match series starting from October 7 in Multan.

He has played 15 Test matches for Pakistan, taking 47 wickets at an average of 33.53. In his last Test match for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in Colombo, Ali had taken a career-best haul of 7 for 70, as per the ICC.

Kamran Ghulam and Mohammad Ali, who were part of the squad for the Bangladesh Tests at home, which Pakistan lost by 2-0, have been ignored for the first Test, although they remain part of the plans for the future. "With a busy domestic and international cricket schedule, it makes sense to give our players some much-needed rest ahead of the Test series against England," head coach Jason Gillespie said as quoted by ICC. "We are very much looking forward to the series against England here in Pakistan and cannot wait for it to begin.

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Pakistan named three spinners in their team for the second Test against England starting on Tuesday as they chase a series-levelling win on a re-used Multan stadium pitch. The hosts made four changes from the side beaten by an innings in the first Test, including bringing in batsman Kamran Ghulam for his debut. The 29-year-old has performed well in domestic cricket, having set a national record of 1,249 runs in the 2020-21 season. The spin bowling will be handled by left-armer Noman Ali, leg-break bowler Zahid Mahmood and off-spinner Sajid Khan, all brought into the side.

Watch: Babar Azam Gets Comforted By Coach Jason Gillespie, Skipper Shan Masood After Being Dropped

Pakistan stalwart Babar Azam finally paid the price of his poor form, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee deciding to drop form the squad for the second Test against England. Babar, who has been in the line of fire over inconsistent performances for more than a year, was backed by his skipper Shan Masood to bounce back, being the team's "best batter", but he found no place in the XI for the second Test. In a video that has surfaced on social media, Babar could be seen engaging in an intense chat with head coach Jason Gillespie before being comforted by him and assistant coach Azar Mahmood.

Pakistan Star Issued Show Cause Notice By PCB For Post Supporting Sacked Babar Azam With 'Virat Kohli' Reference

Pakistan Cricket Board has issued a show cause notice to its centrally contracted player Fakhar Zaman for an alleged breach of the players code of conduct. Fakhar had questioned the decision to exclude Babar Azam from the Pakistan squad for the second and third Test against England in a social media post on Sunday. Fakhar has been asked to submit his reply to the show cause notice by October 21 after the PCB informed him in a notice that he had committed a breach of his contract by criticising the board policies and selection.

Pakistan make four changes for second England test

Pakistan have made four changes to the side for the second test against England after resting senior cricketers including former captain Babar Azam from the rest of the series.

Did Pakistan Commentator Recite Poetry During England Test With 2 Guards On Screen? Truth Of Viral Video

The Pakistan vs England second Test in Multan has seen several records getting broken. Batting first, Pakistan scored 556 all out. In reply, England batters are looking solid on the third day of the first Test with Joe Root breaking Alastair Cook's England Test record of 12,472 runs. In the midst of the Test match, a video went viral on social media which was taken when Pakistan were batting. As the broadcasters' camera focussed on two female stadium security guards, a voice could be heard quoting a poem. Several social media users said that it was typical Pakistan cricket commentary.

Pakistan Stars Demand Flat Pitch For England Tests, Coach Jason Gillespie Says "Shut Up"

As the Pakistan cricket team prepares to take on England in a 3-match Test series, the Pakistan cricket team's batters have shared their inputs on the preference of the nature of the pitch. After Pakistan's 0-2 whitewash against Bangladesh at home, the batters have reportedly asked coach Jason Gillespie to instruct groundsmen on preparing a flat pitch. However, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali claimed that Gillespie wasn't happy with this request from the batters and asked them to "shut up".