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Next week, Pakistan will play Bangladesh in the first Test in Rawalpindi, without a specialist spinner because Abrar Ahmed was cut from the Test team to make room for the Shaheens.
This indicates that Pakistan will field an all-pace attack, strengthened by the addition of Shaheen Shah Afridi and the return of Naseem Shah to the Test team following a year away.
Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shehzad, and Mir Hamza are the other fast bowlers in the team; all three made brief impressions during Pakistan’s most recent Test match in Australia. However, it is unlikely that Aamer Jamal will be available for the first Test. Jamal, who took 18 wickets and scored significant runs, was the most impressive player in Australia. However, he has had a lower back ailment since the beginning of the summer, which hampered and eventually ended his county career with Warwickshire.
In an effort to play cricket rather than remain on the bench, Abrar and Kamran Ghulam, who both missed the Australia Tests due to injuries, have been discharged. One day prior to the Test series, on August 20, in Islamabad, Ghulam will lead the Shaheens team in a four-day match against Bangladesh A.
Pakistan won’t have a specialist spinner in a home Test since September 1995, which includes their Tests in the United Arab Emirates, due to Abrar’s unavailability. In December 2019, during their first Test match in Pakistan after a decade, they too employed an all-pace attack. This was the only other occasion that they did so.
The decision to release Abrar reflects Pakistan’s optimism that Rawalpindi will have a surface with bounce and pace, rather than signifying a more significant shift in mindset. If true, it will be a big departure from the venue’s previous test surfaces, which were run-by and lifeless.
It also acknowledges Pakistan’s relative lack of resources in the spin department, since neither Noman Ali nor Sajid Khan have been able to secure a berth in the Test team in recent seasons.
Agha Salman will now have to carry the most of the spin load for this Test, but he has gradually shown that he is capable of handling the burden. He has averaged 12 overs per innings in his last six Test matches since the beginning of 2023, including two matches in Australia when he bowled 20 or more overs. Not unnoticed, he has also developed a habit of picking up valuable wickets during that time.
Test coach Jason Gillespie said: “You can look into whatever you want. But to start, I think we’ve got two special spinners. Salman Ali Agha is good enough to be classified as a specialist spinner. From what I’ve seen, he has a lot of potential with his offspin. Abrar (Ahmed), obviously, is a fine young bowler in the early stages of his career.
“So, I think we’ve covered a lot of bases. We have a lot of seam-bowling options and spin-bowling options. Our batting is varied as well. I believe we have all bases covered, and it’s a very exciting time for the Pakistan Test side.”