Pakistan announce the squad for the two-match Test series (2025) against the West Indies

[FearlessRoar]

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Saturday announced a 15-player squad for the two ICC World Test Championship Tests against the West Indies, scheduled to be played in Multan from 17-21 January and 25-29 January.

The squad features seven changes from the 15-member Test team that toured South Africa. The retained players are: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan, Noman Ali and Salman Ali Agha.

To strengthen the spin department, off-spinner Sajid Khan and mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed have been recalled to partner with left-arm spinner Noman Ali. As part of workload management, the pace quartet of Aamir Jamal, Mohammad Abbas, Mir Hamza and Naseem Shah has been rested. In their place, the selectors have retained Khurram Shahzad, but recalled Mohammad Ali and included uncapped Kashif Ali.

Openers Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Huraira have also been brought back, replacing an injured Saim Ayub and an out-of-form Abdullah Shafique.

In the absence of wicketkeeper-batter Haseebullah, who sustained a split in his right-hand webbing during the Cape Town Test and requires two more weeks to fully recover, former Pakistan U19 and Shaheens captain Rohail Nazir has been added to the squad.

Pakistan squad for the West Indies Tests:

Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Kashif Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper/batter), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper/batter), Sajid Khan, and Salman Ali Agha.

 

[Omer2002]

Pretty bad i must say

 

[Rana]

Abbas dropped lol

 

[Aqib_mustafa]

Pretty bad i must say

Why pak got three great spinners in shape of noman sajid and abrar spinning tracks they will be unplayable.

 

[lazy cricketer]

woww naseem shaheen abbas or mir hamza not being there is pretty bad selection. these clowns are selecting pacers who can hardly touch 140

 

[lazy cricketer]

spinning tracks are expected again. based on this selection

 

[Aqib_mustafa]

woww naseem shaheen abbas or mir hamza not being there is pretty bad selection. these clowns are selecting pacers who can hardly touch 140

Pak wont need pacers noman sajid abrar will take care of west indies pretty nicely.

 

[Aqib_mustafa]

spinning tracks are expected again. based on this selection

And it makes sense play to your strength spinning tracks won pak series vs england so glad they found their lost formula again.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Pak wont need pacers noman sajid abrar will take care of west indies pretty nicely.

Aamer Jamal was not gonna do anything in Pakistan when he was useless on Proteas pitches...

 

[mango_bite77]

Dont know whether to be happy about Abdullah's exclusion or sad about Imam's return

 

[BouncerGuy]

Dont know whether to be happy about Abdullah's exclusion or sad about Imam's return

I am happy to see Abdullah getting a reality check... Imam will do a better job than abdullah

 

[mango_bite77]

I am happy to see Abdullah getting a reality check... Imam will do a better job than abdullah

Yes in Pakistan he will do better, but overseas he is walking wicket

 

[emranabbas]

Rohail should be given an opportunity ahead of Rizwan, as it's only against West Indies. Rizwan can use this series to rest

 

[BouncerGuy]

Yes in Pakistan he will do better, but overseas he is walking wicket

Abdullah was also a walking wicket himself and he drops catches of the walking wicket of the opposition so.....good riddance.

 

[mominsaigol]

1) Imam
2) Shan
3) Babar
4) Ghulam
5) Saud
6) Rizwan
7) Agha
8) sajid
9) Noman
10) Abrar
11) Ali

^^ This will be the playing 11 most likely.

 

[m.shah]

Abass should have retained and played as 3rd spinner

 

[m.shah]

Good squad selection for these spinning pitches.

 

[Rana]

Who are the spinners in West Indies?

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Slow spinning tracks are expected I suppose with this squad.

 

[Devadwal]

@Major @DeadlyVenom where is Abbas? as Both of you said " Abbas is same level bowler as Bumrah" just a week ago .

 

[DeadlyVenom]

@Major @DeadlyVenom where is Abbas? as Both of you said " Abbas is same level bowler as Bumrah" just a week ago .

He is burnt out after some long spells of fast bowling

 

[Rana]

@Major @DeadlyVenom where is Abbas? as Both of you said " Abbas is same level bowler as Bumrah" just a week ago .

He’s being rested to unleash hell in Champions Trophy

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Decent squad for the conditions and with one eye on keeping the bowlers fresh for CT

 

[DeadlyVenom]

I really hope Mohammed Ali finds success. He is not an amazing bowler but his stats so far don't show his true capabilities. He can be a good bowler for test matches and squad bowler in other formats.

 

[Marooned]

Imam bradman back

I hope Hurraira gets his chance over no potential imam.

 

[Xoib]

I would have tested Musa to see is there a genuine improvement

 

[followed]

Sajid tinda and chacha Nauman will take care of west indies.

Decent squad with the exception of Mohammad Ali who is useless along with imam the parchi ul haq

 

[Devadwal]

woww naseem shaheen abbas or mir hamza not being there is pretty bad selection. these clowns are selecting pacers who can hardly touch 140

Pakistan don't need them at all .they are just needed 'industrial fans' to win the series.

 

[Devadwal]

Imam is right choice and he will be back for champion trophy also.

Good time for him .

 

[shah9425]

Good selection overall

Spinners will do their job

 

[Marooned]

I would have tested Musa to see is there a genuine improvement

For a bowler like him, I wouldn't pick him until he leaves the selectors with no choice by performing season after season.

For me, one good season isn't enough to pick Musa who has huge limitations. For someone with a bit more natural ability I'd be willing but not Musa. He must do it the hard way.

 

[Marooned]

Imam keeps fooling fans into thinking he is atleast decent. He is much worse than most seem to realize.

I'm no fan of Abdullah but he has already played some innings of real value in tests which Imam won't match in his entire career.

Hoping Hurraira gets his chance. He isn't a pretender and should actually be a lock for home tests.

 

[Bewal Express]

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Saturday announced a 15-player squad for the two ICC World Test Championship Tests against the West Indies, scheduled to be played in Multan from 17-21 January and 25-29 January.

The squad features seven changes from the 15-member Test team that toured South Africa. The retained players are: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan, Noman Ali and Salman Ali Agha.

To strengthen the spin department, off-spinner Sajid Khan and mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed have been recalled to partner with left-arm spinner Noman Ali. As part of workload management, the pace quartet of Aamir Jamal, Mohammad Abbas, Mir Hamza and Naseem Shah has been rested. In their place, the selectors have retained Khurram Shahzad, but recalled Mohammad Ali and included uncapped Kashif Ali.

Openers Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Huraira have also been brought back, replacing an injured Saim Ayub and an out-of-form Abdullah Shafique.

In the absence of wicketkeeper-batter Haseebullah, who sustained a split in his right-hand webbing during the Cape Town Test and requires two more weeks to fully recover, former Pakistan U19 and Shaheens captain Rohail Nazir has been added to the squad.

Pakistan squad for the West Indies Tests:

Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Kashif Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper/batter), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper/batter), Sajid Khan, and Salman Ali Agha.

Mostly as expected. Babar should open( but probably won't) and both spinners have to play. Good on the pacers with Mir Hamza and NS gone. But the 2 guys picked ain't doing much on these wickets. I wouldn't be surprised if they play only one pacer.

 

[m.shah]

They should just play one pacer as Sajid and nomi will bowl all the overs in tandem

 

[Rana]

They should just play one pacer as Sajid and nomi will bowl all the overs in tandem

They did Abbas dirty here

 

[Xoib]

For a bowler like him, I wouldn't pick him until he leaves the selectors with no choice by performing season after season.

For me, one good season isn't enough to pick Musa who has huge limitations. For someone with a bit more natural ability I'd be willing but not Musa. He must do it the hard way.

Yeah kinda agree but they should have had one gamble pick as this series was ideal for this maybe a Niaz Khan type selection would have been tried

 

[tahir_dj]

Who is Mohammad Ali

 

[Bewal Express]

Who is Mohammad Ali

The guy that has played a number of times before

 

[Bewal Express]

If you prepare an 8th day wicket for a test then it can become a lottery. If the Windies win the toss and bat, and get 300, we could be in serious problems

 

[emranabbas]

i don't see why imam shouldn't be in the squad after just scoring 184, 60, 100, but some kid Huraira who failed all recent tournaments should play ahead of perfomers like imam, shazaib khan, and ali zaryab

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Dropping Abbas wow. He would have the best pacer even on spinning tracks. Shocking to say the least.

 

[Major]

@Major @DeadlyVenom where is Abbas? as Both of you said " Abbas is same level bowler as Bumrah" just a week ago .

He is also taking rest like Bumrah.

 

[khyberlion]

Abdullah is dropped rightly so without any performances and Abrar is recalled without any performances.

 

[Shaka81]

Who is Kashif Ali and on which basis has been selected?

 

[Barragan]

Who is Kashif Ali and on which basis has been selected?

Exactly, who is that random nobody?

He is not in the highest wicket takers or highest run getters in FC charts

Probably someone's relative or something.

 

[Barragan]

Well, Imam did well in FC and was top 3 in the run chart, so deserved selection

But why Abrar and that random nobody kashif ali?

Abrar is simply not a Test bowler, how many times does he need to fail before realising it?

 

[Aqib_mustafa]

Well, Imam did well in FC and was top 3 in the run chart, so deserved selection

But why Abrar and that random nobody kashif ali?

Abrar is simply not a Test bowler, how many times does he need to fail before realising it?

On spinning pitches he will be a monster just like noman and sajid don.

 

[emranabbas]

Well, Imam did well in FC and was top 3 in the run chart, so deserved selection

But why Abrar and that random nobody kashif ali?

Abrar is simply not a Test bowler, how many times does he need to fail before realising it?

I did not understand kashif inclusion either rubbish batsmen and bowler

 

[tahir_dj]

The guy that has played a number of times before

They could have given chance to that new bowler who performed in the final of QEA

 

[Bewal Express]

They could have given chance to that new bowler who performed in the final of QEA

Too young and too early. Recent history on picking young bowlers has been nothing short of a total disaster

 

[RidiculousMan]

Mohammed Abbas dropped for Mohammad Ali. Incredible!

 

[RidiculousMan]

The guy that has played a number of times before

And failed to perform every single time.

 

[Shaka81]

Too young and too early. Recent history on picking young bowlers has been nothing short of a total disaster

Is that why they've taken the opposite option of picking a random 30-year old because it certainly isn't on performances.

 

[Bewal Express]

Is that why they've taken the opposite option of picking a random 30-year old because it certainly isn't on performances.

He hasn't done much but looks slightly better( not by much) than the other guys

 

[Devadwal]

He is also taking rest like Bumrah.

Ofcourse and sharpening his skills during This break to unleash in the champion trophy

 

[Rana]

Ofcourse and sharpening his skills during This break to unleash in the champion trophy

With Nike sponsorship

 

[Marooned]

Who is Kashif Ali and on which basis has been selected?

Kashif ali is right arm seamer.

He did well in a couple of qea tournaments but hasn't been that consistent over all.
I don't mind his selection tbh. I think he has decent potential to be a test seamer.

 

[moghul]

RIP pace bowling in Pakistan . Emergence of "hybrid" bowlers , they are " pace" bowler but bowl like a spinner . Almost all of our " pace" bowler lately. Pakistan is fast becoming a factory of trundlers .

 

[Major]

Ofcourse and sharpening his skills during This break to unleash in the champion trophy

Sorry we dont play ohr abbas for every format. We keep him for a few special tests

 

[Marooned]

Well, Imam did well in FC and was top 3 in the run chart, so deserved selection

But why Abrar and that random nobody kashif ali?

Abrar is simply not a Test bowler, how many times does he need to fail before realising it?

Wow wutt?

Abrar is not a test bowler now? Abrar was literally eating domestic competition alive when he got selected and got a 10fer when he got supportive wickets vs England.

Give him decent spinning wickets and he'd deliver.

People putting saj nouman on a pedestal just cuz they got to feast on rank turners.

 

[Aami]

1) Imam
2) Shan
3) Babar
4) Ghulam
5) Saud
6) Rizwan
7) Agha
8) sajid
9) Noman
10) Abrar
11) Ali

^^ This will be the playing 11 most likely.

I will probably have Khurram in there instead of Ali or with Ali instead of Abrar.
Khurram is by far our best pacer for the past year.

 

[Marooned]

Is that why they've taken the opposite option of picking a random 30-year old because it certainly isn't on performances.

Are you saying mohd ali hasn't been selected on performance??

 

[Aami]

*Work load management* ... we know that's not the real reason, especially when all 4 other than Naseem are not part of LOI set up. We probably don't play another test ... till God knows when.

I'm hoping Kashif Ali has some pace about him, and hat's why he has been picked because other than Naseem and Afridi, who are not Ferraris anyway, we do lack bowlers with pace.

 

[batandballbattle]

Pankhay will be out again so we should go all out with spin and play all three of Abrar, Sajid and Noman and use our new found strength to its full advantage.
Wishing for Saim's speedy recovery though since the fraud Imam is back

 

[Marooned]

i don't see why imam shouldn't be in the squad after just scoring 184, 60, 100, but some kid Huraira who failed all recent tournaments should play ahead of perfomers like imam, shazaib khan, and ali zaryab

You are making it sound like Imam is some new talent we know nothing about when infact he is a proven failure in tests and has played enough tests without a single meaningful innings.

"Some Kid" Hurraira still averages more than Imam in fcs and topped batting charts for 2 consecutive seasons (something Imam never did). That's more than enough to deserve a chance at test level even if recent form isn't great.

Why should Imam hog all the chances? Let others have their fair chance too especially
Hurraira who has been robbed of a fair chance.

 

[Markhor]

Who are the spinners in West Indies?

Gudakesh Motie, Jomel Warrican and Kevin Sinclair.

Motie is quality.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

You are making it sound like Imam is some new talent we know nothing about when infact he is a proven failure in tests and has played enough tests without a single meaningful innings.

"Some Kid" Hurraira still averages more than Imam in fcs and topped batting charts for 2 consecutive seasons (something Imam never did). That's more than enough to deserve a chance at test level even if recent form isn't great.

Why should Imam hog all the chances? Let others have their fair chance too especially
Hurraira who has been robbed of a fair chance.

We probably did drop the ball with Hurraira a bit. A chance while his form was red hot may have boosted his confidence even further

 

[Rana]

Gudakesh Motie, Jomel Warrican and Kevin Sinclair.

Motie is quality.

Yes. Zulfi Cobra of West Indies.

 

[Markhor]

Good squad given the expected conditions. Despite being a wooden spoon derby, it's still a Test series at home and we haven't won enough of them these last few years.

Wouldn't have recalled Mohammad Ali though. 32 years old (officially) and averaged 72 in the Bangladesh series.

Probably won't play as expecting the rakes and fans will be out again for our spin trio.

 

[Markhor]

For a bowler like him, I wouldn't pick him until he leaves the selectors with no choice by performing season after season.

For me, one good season isn't enough to pick Musa who has huge limitations. For someone with a bit more natural ability I'd be willing but not Musa. He must do it the hard way.

Thank God they didn't pick that tubby midget.

Possibly the worst bowler we debuted in recent memory. We made a joke of the Test cap by debuting him in Australia where he was dispatched T20 style. Still haven't forgiven Misbah and Waqar for that selection.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Hurraira should open here, no more parchi imam.

Also even though conditions will favour spin, the seamer options picked are poor. Seamers still have to do a job

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Mohammed Abbas dropped for Mohammad Ali. Incredible!

Even you had to play even one seamer spinning tracks, it should have been Abbas. His performance in the UAE speaks for itself.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

1. Shan Masood
2. Muhammad Huraira
3. Babar Azam
4. Kamran Ghulam
5. Saud Shakeel
6. Mohammad Rizwan
7. Agha Salman
8. Sajid Khan
9. Noman Ali
10. Khurram Shahzad
11. Abrar Ahmed

If you wanna go spin heavy than GO spin heavy.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

The idea of resting Abbas is so stupid considering his fitness is much better than the other fast-bowlers and the fact that he only plays test matches, which Pakistan are not playing for a very long time after this series.

 

[emranabbas]

You are making it sound like Imam is some new talent we know nothing about when infact he is a proven failure in tests and has played enough tests without a single meaningful innings.

"Some Kid" Hurraira still averages more than Imam in fcs and topped batting charts for 2 consecutive seasons (something Imam never did). That's more than enough to deserve a chance at test level even if recent form isn't great.

Why should Imam hog all the chances? Let others have their fair chance too especially
Hurraira who has been robbed of a fair chance.

There’s a big difference between hoping someone will perform well and trusting a player who’s already proven themselves. Right now, based on performances, it’s pretty clear who deserves the spot.

Let’s look at the recent Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEA):

Imam-ul-Haq

Average: 79

Centuries: 3

Fifties: 1

Matches: 5


Imam has been in amazing form. He’s scored three hundreds, a fifty, and has an average of 79. That’s top-tier consistency and exactly what you want from a batter.

Muhammad Hurraira

Average: 29

Centuries: 0

Fifties: 1

Matches: 3


Hurraira, on the other hand, hasn’t been great. A single fifty and an average of 29 in three games don’t scream “pick me.”

Players like Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Tayab Tahir, and Ali Zaryab are all outperforming Hurraira right now

Hurraira also had a chance to shine against Sri Lanka A but didn’t do anything special, with single-digit scores. While he’s clearly talented, his current form doesn’t back up the hype.

Imam might not be a “new” talent, but form matters in cricket. Players go in and out of form, and right now, Imam is in much better touch than Hurraira.

Hurraira might be a good player with a bright future, but based on current form, Imam deserves the spot. He’s consistent, experienced, and performing when it matters. For now, he’s the better choice.

 

[shamaan]

Most likely line up

Imaam
Shan
Babar
Kamran
Saud
Rizwan
Agha
Numan Ali
Sajid Khan
Shahzad
ali

 

[shamaan]

Imam bradman back

I hope Hurraira gets his chance over no potential imam.

Hurraira isnt a opener he should bat in the middle order as hes a very good player of spin but average against pace.

 

[Nasty Naz]

Imam was expected to be in the squad so no surprise there. Abdullah being dropped too based on recent form is not exactly surprising. I don't hate it but I don't really love it either. Kid has played some outstanding knocks in his Test career already and it seems like a successive ducks in ODI's has done him in. At the same time, I don't mind him being rested, playing in this ongoing FC tournament and try to get his rhythm back and take some time to work on his technical issues.

Kashif Ali is the biggest surprise pick of the squad. Bit of a strange selection but I remember him as a decent upcoming bowler back in 2021 for Northern. Pace seems ok but probably 135ish, bowling action seems decent and can get the ball to swing a bit but his stats don't exactly jump off the page. In fairness, the pitches few years ago in FC were flat decks but clearly PCB think there's some upside to him. Doubt he'll get a game in though but maybe it'll be good to be around the team to see if he can pickup on new things.

Nice to see Zahid dropped for Abrar. He was so rubbish and Abrar has at least shown good line/length consistency in his career. Guessing Pakistan are likely to go 3 spinners + one pacer for their choice of attack.

Hope this break for Naseem means we'll see a fully rested Naseem for CT. No Shaheen in squad either so hopefully both will be really fresh for the tournament.

 

[Omer2002]

I am happy to see Abdullah getting a reality check... Imam will do a better job than abdullah

No its unfair on Abdullah..one days and Tests are diff formats...what has Shan done for yrs apart from.one good innings

 

[shamaan]

How is Abbas not in the squad after his performance in South Africa.