Pakistan are all set to face Bangladesh in the upcoming two-match Test series, with the first match being played from Wednesday in Rawalpindi. The two Tests against Bangladesh will mark the first assignment of Jason Gillespie as Pakistan’s Test coach. On Monday, Pakistan announced their Playing XI for the first Test and they have benched their only spinner Abrar Ahmed from the team. Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal slammed the Pakistan management for going ahead without any spinner.

Apart from Abrar, batter Kamran Ghulam has also been benched as the selectors have named them in the Pakistan Shaheens’ squad, which will be squaring off against Bangladesh A on August 30.

The absence of Abrar means that Pakistan will be going ahead with a complete pace attack in the first Test. The only spin options left for Pakistan in their XI are all-rounder Salman Ali Agha and Saud Shakeel.

Akmal criticised the selectors for not including a spinner. He even gave the example of India, stating that they will never going ahead in a Test match without Ravindra Jadeja or Ravichandran Ashwin.

“With Jason Gillespie (Pakistan’s Test head coach), we are talking about the Australian mindset. But can Australia play without Nathan Lyon? Will India play without Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja? No, they won’t. You have Abrar, but you have shut down his confidence so much,” Akmal told Cricket Pakistan.

“Due to personal likes and dislikes, that boy (Abrar) has been ruined. His fitness and off-the-field issues were highlighted, and because of that, you’ve spoiled that boy and harmed Pakistan,” he added.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali are the top four pacers for Pakistan who will play against Bangladesh in the first Test match. Meanwhile, Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha will be the hosts’ spin bowlers.

Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub will open for Pakistan, while captain Shan Masood and Babar Azam will be in action in the middle order.

(With ANI Inputs)

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has released spinner Abrar Ahmed and top-order batter Kamran Ghulam from the Pakistan squad for the first Test and he will now represent Pakistan Shaheens in the second four-day match against Bangladesh ‘A’, which will start at the Islamabad Club on Tuesday, 20 August. Ghulam has been appointed as Pakistan Shaheens captain for the second four-day match.

“The decision has been made after the selectors have opted to go with an all-pace attack in the first ICC World Test Championship match against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on August 21. Instead of benching him for the Test, the selectors named him in the Shaheens squad so that he can gain some match practice ahead of the second Test, which will start in Karachi on August 30,” the PCB said in a release.

This means the Pakistan Test has been trimmed to 15 players, but will be back to its original 17-player strength after the conclusion of the second four-day match when Abrar and Kamran will rejoin the side for the Karachi visit.

Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Saud Shakeel, who were part of the Pakistan Shaheen side, have now joined the Test side while Mohammad Rameez Jnr has been left out for the second four-day match. These eight players have been replaced in the Shaheens side by Abrar Ahmed, Ali Zaryab Asif, Awais Anwar, Imam Ul Haq, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir and Sharoon Siraj.

Pakistan Shaheens squad (for second four-day): Kamran Ghulam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ali Zaryab, Ghulam Mudassar, Imam-ul-Haq, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Awais Anwar, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir (wicket-keeper), Saad Baig (wicket-keeper), Saad Khan, Sharoon Siraj and Umar Amin.