Jason Gillespie, the coach of Pakistan’s Test team, has clarified the rationale behind selecting only one specialist spinner, Abrar Ahmed, for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which begins on August 21 in Rawalpindi.

Gillespie explained that the squad is well-balanced, with Abrar being a promising young spinner, and Salman Ali Agha also considered capable of playing as a specialist spinner.

“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 off-spin. Abrar (Ahmed), obviously, is a fine young bowler in the early stages of his career,” Gillespie said.

Gillespie believes that the squad is well-equipped and is looking forward to an exciting series for Pakistan.

“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,” he added.

According to sources, the Pindi Stadium pitch is expected to favor fast bowlers, prompting Pakistan to likely field four pace bowlers in the first Test.

Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Mir Hamza are confirmed to play, with the fourth pace spot being contested between Khurram Shehzad and Mohammad Ali. Agha Salman will be the only spinner in the lineup.