LAHORE: Pakistan have named three uncapped batters in their Test squad for the home series against Sri Lanka, after a poor run of results forced the selectors to look at fresh faces. Sameer Minhas, Mohammad Taha and Mohammad Suleman have all received their maiden Test call-ups.
Babar Azam captains the 14-member side for the two Tests, which form part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27. Pakistan sit at the bottom of the championship table, while Sri Lanka are in seventh place.
The first Test runs from 9 to 13 November at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The second Test runs from 17 to 21 November at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The selectors will add two fast bowlers later, from the PCB Patron’s XI side. That team is due to play a practice game against Sri Lanka before the Tests begin.
Runs rewarded at last
The three new batters have earned their places with heavy runs in the Pakistan first-class season, and none of the picks looks like a favour. Domestic cricket has done its job here, and the selectors have rewarded it.
Mohammad Taha, a 26-year-old left-handed batter, is the leading run-scorer in the President’s Trophy Grade-I first-class tournament. He has made 730 runs in seven matches, including three centuries and a best score of 225.
Mohammad Suleman is fifth on the same run list, with 652 runs, also with three hundreds. Sameer Minhas, playing his maiden first-class season, has impressed with 405 runs in seven matches.
Sameer is already known to many fans from the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year. His unbeaten 74 won a match for Pakistan at that tournament, after coming through the Pakistan Under-19 setup.
The message to every young batter grinding through the first-class season is clear. Score heavily, and the door to the Test team is open. If domestic runs do not lead to selection, then domestic cricket is only decoration. Here, the runs have actually been rewarded.
A changed squad
The full 14-member Pakistan Test squad is Babar Azam as captain, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori as wicketkeeper, Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Taha, Razaullah, Saad Baig as wicketkeeper, Salman Ali Agha, Sameer Minhas and Saud Shakeel.
Salman Ali Agha returns to the Test squad after being among seven players released mid-series during the tour of England in August. He was removed as Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain and left out of this month’s Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka, but he impressed in the one-day internationals, scoring a century against Sri Lanka last Sunday.
Left-arm spinner Ali Usman, who was also among the players released during the England tour, has been named in the squad as well. Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, wicketkeepers Mohammad Ghazi Ghori and Saad Baig, along with Razaullah and Saud Shakeel, have retained their places.
There are some notable names missing. Shan Masood, who until recently was the Pakistan Test captain, has been dropped. He scored a fighting 95 against England in the third Test last month, but that was not enough to keep his place.
Abdullah Shafique has also been dropped. He played a starring role in Pakistan’s win in the West Indies, with an unbeaten 160 in the first innings of the Port of Spain Test, but he then struggled in England, scoring only 84 runs in six innings.
Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq are missing too, after being among the seven players sent home from England. The spin bowling pair of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali also miss out.
A series Pakistan must win
Pakistan need a strong result in this series. They are looking to bounce back from a 3-0 series loss in England, and they sit at the bottom of the World Test Championship table.
When a team is bottom, keeping the same group and hoping for different results is not a plan. Dropping a former captain hurts, and it will divide opinion, but it is the kind of call that tells supporters the selectors are serious about change rather than only talking about it.
Sri Lanka will not be easy opponents at home, even with Pakistan’s new faces. The visitors have a practice game first, through the PCB Patron’s XI fixture, and they will arrive with a clear look at local conditions.
For the three new batters, the challenge is to turn first-class form into Test runs. Taha and Suleman have the numbers behind them, and Sameer has youth and confidence on his side. The first Test in Rawalpindi, starting on 9 November, will show whether the selectors’ gamble pays off.
The home crowd will watch closely. A fresh batting line-up, a captain under pressure to deliver, and a series that matters for the championship table make this a defining home assignment for Pakistan.
