Fast bowler Wahab Riaz and former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed have been named in Pakistan's shortlisted squad ahead of next month's Test series against England.
The squad comprises 20 players, including the uncapped Kashif Bhatti. Middle-order batsman Iftikhar Ahmed was excluded.
The left-handed Fawad Alam, who hasn't played a Test match in over a decade despite averaging over 56 in first-class cricket, has also been recalled.
Riaz hasn't played a Test match since 2018, while Ahmed was replaced by new captain Azhar Ali late last year.
Old Trafford in Manchester will host the first Test. The next two will be played at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.
England and Pakistan have met 83 times in Test cricket. Their first was in 1954. England have won 25 and Pakistan 21. There have been 37 draws.
Their last Test series was in mid-2018. The series was drawn one-all. Pakistan seamer Abbas was named Player of the Series on the back of 10 wickets in two fixtures.
Pakistan Squad for England Test Series
- Azhar Ali (captain)
- Babar Azam
- Abid Ali
- Asad Shafiq
- Faheem Ashraf
- Fawad Alam
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Imran Khan, senior
- Kashif Bhatti
- Mohammad Abbas
- Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper)
- Naseem Shah
- Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper)
- Shadab Khan
- Shaheen Afridi
- Shan Masood
- Sohail Khan
- Usman Shinwari
- Wahab Riaz
- Yasir Shah
T20Is After Test Series
The Test series will be followed by three T20Is between the same opposition. Old Trafford will host all the T20Is.
The nine players who were part of the original squad of 29 but have not been selected for the Tests, have remained in the United Kingdom.
“Meanwhile, the remaining nine players – Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain and Musa Khan – will continue to train with the squad for the T20I series, which will be played at the back-end of the Test series,” read a statement from the Pakistan Cricket Board.
England and Pakistan are former T20 World Cup champions. England won the 2010 tournament in the Caribbean. Pakistan won the 2009 tournament in the United Kingdom.
They have met 15 times in T20I cricket. Pakistan have won four and lost 10. They tied a T20I in Sharjah in 2015 after regular play, before England won the one-over eliminator.
