Shan Masood, Haris Rauf return to Pakistan squad for Australia Tests

Pakistan have named a strong 16-man squad for the three-match home Test series against Australia, starting March 8.  Shan Masood and Haris Rauf have been included, while the likes of Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Naseem Shah, Kamran Ghulam and former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed will be among the reserves.

Masood comes into the side in place of Abid Ali, who is still recovering after being diagnosed with Acute Coronary Syndrome. Uncapped Rauf was part of the Test side against Zimbabwe and South Africa last year, once again comes into the side in place of Bilal Asif.

"We have opted for consistency for the important home series against Australia and changes have only been made where absolutely necessary," Chief selector Mohammad Wasim said. 

"This is to give the boys confidence, reward them for their impressive performances in the longer version of the game in 2021 and continue to build the side for the future.

"These are the best available, most talented and in-form players in the domestic circuit. I am confident they will put up an impressive performance against a formidable Australia side."

Former spinner Saqlain Mushtaq will carry on his duties as the head coach for the next 12 months, while former Australia pacer Shaun Tait has been named the fast bowling coach for the same period. Former batter Mohammad Yousuf has also been roped in as the batting coach for the Australia series

Pakistan squad for Test series vs Australia: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk, vc), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Zahid Mahmood

Reserves: Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Yasir Shah