LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that batsman Imam-ul-Haq and pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi have been excluded from the Sydney Test, making way for opener Saim Ayub to join the 11-man squad. This marks Ayub’s Test debut, as Pakistan gears up to face Australia in the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) from January 3 to 7.
Saim Ayub, who has previously played eight Twenty20 matches for Pakistan, will join captain Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafiq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Rizwan, Abrar Ahmed, Aamir Jamal, and Mir Hamza in the squad.
🚨 Our playing XI for the SCG Test 🚨#AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/xTJzOcgy2n
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) January 2, 2024
Spinners Sajid Khan and Abrar Ahmed have also secured spots in the lineup, with the 25-year-old leg-break googly bowler Ahmed declared fit for the Sydney Test. He last played in the Test against Sri Lanka in July 2023.
