Sarfaraz Ahmed applauds Saud Shakeel's vice-captaincy appointment

The Pakistan Cricket Board’s men’s national selection committee has unveiled a 17-member squad for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship fixtures against Bangladesh. The first Test will take place at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from August 21-25, followed by the second Test in Karachi from August 30 to September 3.

A significant development in the squad is the appointment of Saud Shakeel as the vice-captain. Shakeel, a promising left-handed middle-order batter, will serve as deputy to Shan Masood, who will lead the team. This decision is part of a strategic move to manage the workload of Pakistan’s lead fast bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi, over a demanding period from August 21, 2024, to April 5, 2025. During this time, Pakistan is slated to play nine Tests, 14 T20Is, and at least 17 ODIs.

Speaking to local news channel, Sarfaraz Ahmed, former captain of the national team, expressed his support for Saud.

"Congratulations to Saud Shakeel. It is a great honor to be the vice-captain of Pakistan's national team. Such junior players are being groomed, who have been captaining at the lower levels is uplifting. All the players are talented, all the youngsters are performing well. Whoever gets the opportunity should play well," Sarfaraz said.

It is worth noting that the training camp for the Pakistan Test team is set to commence at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on August 11, under the guidance of head coach Jason Gillespie and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood. The Bangladesh team is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad early on August 17 and is expected to begin their training later that afternoon.

PAKISTAN SQUAD:
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal (subject to Fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper) and Shaheen Shah Afridi