Following Pakistan’s innings-and-103-run defeat at the hands of England in the Headingley Leeds Test, the senior players of the national team are facing severe criticism.
There had been speculation that the team management would hand former captain and experienced wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan’s place to Ghazi Ghori for a Test debut in the Lord’s Test. There was also speculation that Salman Ali Agha, who led the team in the absence of Babar Azam in Leeds, would not be included in the squad for the Lord’s Test.
However, according to reports, both players will be part of Pakistan’s team for the second Test, which begins at Lord’s on Thursday.
Thirty-four-year-old Mohammad Rizwan, who has played 46 Tests, and 32-year-old Salman Ali Agha, who has featured in 28 Tests, will be included in the 11-member team. Meanwhile, following Test captain Babar Azam’s return after missing one match, 30-year-old Saud Shakeel will be dropped. Shakeel scored 5 and 14 in the Leeds Test.
After taking 5 wickets for 95 runs in Leeds, there had been a strong possibility that Pakistan would field 32-year-old right-arm spinner Sajid Khan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the second spinner at Lord’s. Sajid has taken 77 wickets in 16 Tests at an average of 28.81.
However, captain Babar Azam indicated at the press conference that Salman Ali Agha is his first choice as the second spinner alongside Ali Usman.
The second change following Babar Azam’s return to the team is expected to be Obaid Shah, who made his Test debut against the West Indies in Port of Spain, Trinidad. He is being considered as a replacement for Khurram Shahzad.
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