By Staff Reporter
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan has recalled leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed for the second Test against Bangladesh starting on Friday, after their decision to play an all-pace attack backfired in the series opener.
Abrar, who has 38 wickets from six tests, was added to the 12-man squad announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday.
The hosts are seeking redemption after suffering a humiliating 10-wicket defeat in the first Test – Bangladesh maiden Test victory against Pakistan. Mushfiqur Rahim’s masterful 191 helped the visitors amass a record 565 in two-match series, securing a crucial 117-run first-innings lead on a flat Rawalpindi pitch.
Pakistan, struggling to find their footing in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, has lost four of its six fixtures, including a shock defeat to the United States in a T20 international earlier this year.
Pakistan’s head coach Jason Gillespie admitted it will be a challenge to square the series.
“We want to go out there and play positive,” Gillespie said at a news conference. “It’s about scoring lots of singles and with our bowling, we want to be ruthless and challenge the opposition batters.”
Gillespie confirmed that pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi would miss the second Test to spend time with his newborn son and family.
“Obviously Shaheen (Shah Afridi) will miss out on this game. We had a good conversation with him and he fully understands and appreciates the thinking behind it. We are just looking at what our best combination is for this game,” he said.
Pakistan’s decision to field four pace bowlers in the first Test proved costly as the hosts struggled to make an impact, sparking concerns about the team’s bowling strategy. The pace quartet of Afridi, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, and Naseem Shah failed to capitalise on a grassy pitch.
The hosts latest defeat adds to a dismal run of form, with their last home Test victory coming against South Africa in February 2021. Since then, they have suffered a series loss to Australia, a whitewash at the hands of England, and a drawn series against New Zealand.
Captain Shan Masood, who has lost all four Tests since taking the reins, received backing from Gillespie. “Shan is a very positive captain who wants to play and win games… we showed that with our intent in the first game but it didn’t quite work out and that’s credit to our opposition,” Gillespie said. “That game is gone, but what we can do is focus on the game starting tomorrow.”
Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe said his team’s morale was high after their first-ever Test win over Pakistan.
“Obviously beating Pakistan in Pakistan is not an easy task,” former Srilankan batsman said. “They are a very strong team and we expect a very good fight in the second Test as well but we will not be different from the first game and know our strength as well as that of Pakistan’s.”
Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha.
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