Pakistan look to prove a point in Boxing Day Test

Melbourne, 25 December 2023: Pakistan are all set to play the second Test of the three-match series against Australia and their 11th Test match at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Shan Masood-led outfit will be eager to prove a point with the series still up for grabs.

The series opener at Perth saw Pakistan face defeat by 360 runs, but the silver lining for the visitors was the performance of the two debutants, Aamir Jamal and Khurram Shahzad, who picked up seven and five wickets respectively in the match. Aamir will be looking to build up on his brilliant performance as he registered the sixth-best bowling figures for a Pakistan player on debut with his 6-111.

Meanwhile, Khurram has been ruled out of the Test series due to a stress fracture while Abrar Ahmed remains unavailable for selection for the MCG Test.

Pakistan captain Shan Masood, talking about the team composition for the second Test, said, “I believe in making less changes in the team after a loss to maintain stability but you have to make a few tactical decisions and then unfortunately we had injury concerns as well.

Talking about Hasan and Rizwan’s inclusion in the 12-man squad, Shan said, “Hasan replaces Faheem Ashraf because he is highly experienced and has a good Test record. Unfortunately, his career has been a stop-start due to injuries but his Test numbers are still impressive. Bringing in Rizwan for Sarfaraz is a tactical decision as we feel Rizwan can bat well in these conditions, evident from his batting records in Australia, England and New Zealand.”

“Sajid Khan is included in the 12 as a specialist spinner because we haven’t had the opportunity to look at the wicket lately as it rained today. With the 12-man squad we can take the decision on frontline spin option in the morning after having a good look at the wicket.

Pakistan’s 12-man squad for MCG Test: Shan Masood (c), Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi (vc), Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza, Aamir Jamal and Sajid Khan