Pakistan have suffered a blow ahead of the first Test match against Australia which is slated to take place in Rawalpindi, starting March 4, 2022. Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Ali have been ruled out of the fixture due to injuries and the selectors have included middle-order batter Iftikhar Ahmed and fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr.
The two players will be under a mandatory three-day isolation at the team hotel upon their arrival in Islamabad before joining the rest of the team after clearing their respective Covid-19 tests.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain Iftikhar Ahmed and fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jnr have been included in Pakistan’s Test squad for the first match of the three-match series against Australia,” a PCB statement said.
“The two have replaced Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Ali who have been ruled out of the Rawalpindi Test (first of the series) due to injuries,” it added.
“Faheem and Hasan will rejoin the squad in the coming week and after completing their three-day mandatory isolation integrate with the rest of the squad during the first Test, both are expected to regain full fitness before the second Test that will be played in Karachi 12-16 March,” it further said.
The two sides will then move to Karachi where the second Test is scheduled to take place from March 12, 2022 while the third and final clash will be held in Lahore from March 21, 2022.
Updated squad: Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (VC), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, and Zahid Mahmood