Islamabad (Web Desk/Agencies): Pakistan team red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie on Thursday announced a 12-member squad for the second Test match against Bangladesh.
The playing XI for the second Test commencing Friday at the Pindi Stadium Rawalpindi will be announced at the time of toss, he said during a pre-match press conference here at a local hotel.
Bangladesh are leading the two Test-match series 1-0, after defeating the hosts Pakistan by 10 wickets on Sunday.
The toss will take place 09:30am, while the match is expected to start 10am.
Speaking about the Green-shirts, readiness for the upcoming second Test against Bangladesh Jason Gillespie said,‘We are up for the Battle’.
“We will look at the conditions and make the assessment. Abrar Ahmed is included in the 12-member squad. We have yet to see the pitch and we’ll evaluate the conditions Friday morning,” he added.
Jason emphasised the importance of authentic play, urging players to perform at full strength, and noted that success can be achieved through strategic singles and doubles, while effective bowling requires precise line and length to challenge the batter.
Jason said Shan Masood is a very positive captain and we want to win games. “We showed our intent in the first Test match, we made the declaration because we wanted to get our opposition into bat. It didn’t quite work out, but full credit to our opposition as they played really well,” he said.
“Our focus is on the second Test and we are up for the battle and really looking forward to it. We are looking to play the best combination for the game,” Gillespie said.
He said Shaheen Shah Afridi is working on a few aspects of his bowling to be as affective as he can.
“Shaheen will sit out of this game. We had a good conversation and he fully understands the reasoning behind this decision. Shaheen’s a new father and we’re seeing an opportunity to allow him to spend time with his family as well. He is a quality player and will play a significant role.
We’re looking for the best combination for this game, and this is our direction. We will assess the conditions in the morning and decide on our bowling attack. We’ve learned our lessons and hopefully can apply those in this game. We know it’s going to be tough, but we’re up for the battle and are really looking forward to it,” he said.
Pakistan’s twelve member squad for second Test includes Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Salman Ali Agha, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Naseem Shah and Mir Hamza.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Head Coach Chandika Hathurusingha said the morale of the team was high after beating Pakistan in the first Test.
“It was not an easy task, as Pakistan is a very strong team. We expect a very good fight in the second test,” the red-ball head coach said.
To a question, he said we should have a good partnership early on 12 overs, but the strategy depends on the conditions.
“We know are strengths and limitations, as well as of our opposition,” Gillespie said.
12-member 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.
