Written by: Waseem Abbas
Posted on: January 17, 2025 | 
| 中文
The captains, Shan Masood and Kraigg Brathwaite, with the trophy.
In its last series of the ICC World Test championship Cycle (2022-2024), Pakistan is set to face West Indies at home in a two-match competition, starting from the 17th of January in Multan. Pakistan currently stands 8th in the table, while West Indies is lagging behind at the 9th position, as South Africa and Australia have qualified for the final of the championship, set to be played at Lords on the 11-15th of June 2025. With no high stakes attached in the ongoing series, Pakistan has a good chance to test its bench strength against the already-battled West Indian side.
Babar Azam and Shan Masood
Pakistan’s squad for the West Indies series has a few interesting inclusions and a few surprising exclusions. With Abdullah Shafique being dropped due to bad form and Saim Ayub’s unavailability due to injury, Pakistan has recalled Imam Ul Haq and young Muhammad Hurraira as the new openers, and deservingly so. Imam has scored 635 runs in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy 2024 at an average of 79.37, after being dropped from the team for the Bangladesh and South Africa series, while Hurraira, who is set to make his Test debut in the first Test, has accumulated 3,427 runs in 44 First Class games so far. Hurraira was the highest run-getter in the 2021 and 2022 editions of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, and had traveled with the team for many tournaments, before getting dropped without getting a chance. It is a golden chance for the 22-year-old Sialkot-born right-hand opener to claim a permanent spot in Pakistan's Test team.
Muhammad Hurraira, Muhammad Rizwan, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan during a practice session in Multan.
Wicket-keeper Rohail Nazir has earned a test call-up as Rizwan’s backup, after Haseeb Ullah Khan, who was part of the South Africa series, was out of the team due to an injury. Since dropping Sarfraz, Pakistan has struggled to find a backup keeper, juggling between Haseeb and Rohail. Both are good wicket-keepers, but their batting credentials in the longer format are not yet established. It appears that the musical chair for the backup wicket-keeper position will continue, between Rohail and Haseeb in the future as well. Pakistan's bowling unit has even bigger surprises. Pacers Muhammad Abbas, Aamer Jamal, Mir Hamza and Naseem Shah from the South Africa series have been dropped, while Khurram Shehzad has retained his place in the team. Muhammad Ali also earned a spot, while the 30-year-old right-arm pacer Kashif Ali has got his first international call-up, who has 101 First-Class wickets at 28.49. Kashif’s selection, alongside Sajid, Abrar and Muhammad Ali, indicates that Pakistan has pursued the 'horses for courses' policy. The hero against the England series, Sajid Khan, is also back in the team after missing the Africa series, and so is the mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed. Sajid was dropped from the Africa series despite his brilliant performance against England, as pitches in Africa are not conducive for spinners. Similarly, Abbas, Pakistan's highest wicket-taker in Africa, has been dropped from the West Indies because pitches are expected to be spin-friendly.
Noman and Sajid after demolishing English team, Oct 26, 2024.
West Indian team mostly comprises inexperienced players except for captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Kemar Roach. Keacy Carty, Alick Athnaze, Kavem Hodge and Joshnu De Silva will be crucial for the West Indian batting lineup, while Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales will be assisting Roach in the fast-bowling department. Emerging spinners Gudakesh Motie, Kevin Sinclair and Jomel Warrican will be taking care of the spin bowling, which is going to be a crucial factor in Pakistan’s spinning tracks. A new wicket-keeper batter Amir Jangoo has been included in the squad, who made a blistering hundred on his ODI debut against Bangladesh a month ago.
West Indies' Alick Athanaze plays a reverse shot against South Africa.
With the Champion Trophy scheduled after the West Indies series, Pakistan has a good chance to prepare for the megaevent. Players like Muhammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam Salman Ali Agha, and others have good four innings to be back in runs, as it will be a moral booster for them going forward. Additionally, this series presents a chance to test new players, like Hurraira, and prepare them for the upcoming World Test Championship. The first two Test Championships have been nightmarish for Pakistan, and it is high time that Pakistan takes the Test Championship seriously. With the talks around splitting Test cricket into two tiers in the near future, Pakistan has a lot to lose if it does not mend its ways and does not concentrate on Test cricket.
Pak Test team
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