Pakistan Announce Squad For Australia Test Series With Shan Masood As Captain

After consultation with his family, Babar Azam decided to step down and PCB stands behind his decision.

An 18-member squad for the 3-match Test series against Australia, which will take place from December 14, 2023, to January 7, 2024, was revealed by the Pakistan Cricket Board on Monday. Shan Masood will captain the team for the first time in this role. After replacing Babar Azam as captain last week, he was selected Pakistan's captain for the 2023–25 cycle of the ICC World Test Championship.

34-year-old Shan has featured in 30 Tests, scoring 1,597 runs, which includes four centuries and seven half-centuries. Shan has been appointed captain till the end of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25. Shan's first assignment as captain will be a three-match Test series against Australia in Australia starting on 14 December. (IND vs AUS: Suryakumar Yadav Announced Captain Of Team India For T20I Series Against Australia, Check Full Squad Here)

Pakistan squad for Australia Tests

Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Meanwhile, left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead Pakistan Men's Team in the T20I format and his first assignment as captain will be the five-match T20I series in New Zealand from 12 to 21 January. 23-year-old Shaheen has bagged 64 wickets in 52 T20Is. (Glenn Maxwell's Wife Vini Raman Hits Back At Trolls, Says, 'You Can Be Indian...,')

Shaheen has also captained Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and has helped the side win the tournament twice in two years in the 2022 and 2023 editions.

"Shan and Shaheen were appointed captains after Babar Azam today stepped down from all three formats of the game. Pakistan's captain in the ODI format will be announced in due course," a statement from PCB read.

Shortly after Babar's resignation, the PCB published a statement noting that while Babar was given the option to stay as Test captain, the decision to dismiss him as white-ball captain was presented to him as a fait accompli.

After consultation with his family, Babar decided to step down and PCB stands behind his decision. PCB respects his decision and continues to support him as a player.

"Babar Azam is truly a world-class player and we want him to continue to thrive as a player. He is one of the best batters Pakistan has ever produced. He is our asset, and we will continue to support him. His batting prowess is a testament to his dedication and skill. He is a role model for the present generation," Chairman PCB Management Committee Zaka Ashraf said in a official statement.

"We want to see him grow as a great batter and now without his additional burden of the captaincy, he can focus more on his performances to reach even greater heights. We respect his decision and will continue to back him," the statement further read.