Trio of youngsters likely to be included in squad for Sri Lanka tour

KARACHI: Three new young players — Mohammad Huraira, Aamir Jamal and Omair Bin Yousuf — are likely to be included in the Pakistan squad for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka. 

The Green Shirts are set to tour Sri Lanka to play two Test matches next month. The team selectors have almost finalised the squad which will be announced on Saturday. 

Twenty-four years old Yousuf has scored 2687 runs in 40 first-class games since his debut in 2018 at an average of 48.95. He scored 65 in the only first-class game that Pakistan Shaheen’s played against Zimbabwe Select XI last month. He also had scores of 153 and 89* in ListA games during the series.

Huraira, 21, who became the second youngest Pakistani to score a triple hundred in First Class cricket in 2021, has so far played 24 FC games and has scored 2252 runs at an average of 68.24 while all-rounder Aamer has played 23 first class and with 64 wickets to his credit.

Shaheen Afridi might return to red-ball squad

According to sources, other than the Pak-Shaheens trio, it is also expected that fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi who last played a Test match in July 2022 will make a comeback to the red-ball squad of the Pakistan Cricket team.

The selectors, foreseeing the need to adopt the ‘Bazball’ method in Test cricket, had also discussed including Fakhar Zaman in the squad. However, they — according to the sources — didn’t agree on his immediate return to red ball cricket.

Fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Junior, Mir Hamza and spinner Zahid Mehmood are likely to miss the ticket to Sri Lanka but Sarfaraz Ahmed and Hassan Ali are set to be retained.

The sources further added that Pakistan’s squad will train in Karachi ahead of the departure to Sri Lanka.

The short camp, according to the sources, is likely to be held between July 3 to 9.