Pakistan announce Test squad keeping in mind ‘challenging Australian conditions’

Newly appointed chief selector Wahab Riaz, speaks during a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, Nov. 20, 2021. (AP)

• Shan Masood will lead team for first time after taking over as captain from Babar Azam who resigned as captain of all formats last week
• Left-handed opening batter Saim Ayub and right-arm fast bowler Khurram Shahzad have also earned maiden Test call-ups

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday announced their 18-member traveling squad for the series against Australia starting December 14, with newly-appointed Chief Selector Wahab Riaz saying the team was picked based on “challenging Australian conditions.”
Shan Masood, left-handed batter and an occasional right-arm medium-fast bowler, will lead the team for the first time after taking over as captain from Babar Azam, who stepped down as captain of all formats last week.
Shan Masood was Pakistan’s joint-highest-scorer at the T20 World Cup 2022. Left-handed opening batter Saim Ayub and right-arm fast bowler Khurram Shahzad have earned maiden Test call-ups for the three-match series that will be played under the ongoing World Test Championship umbrella.
Both the stars get into the Test squad on the back of brilliant performances in the domestic circuit. Ayub scored 553 runs in four matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24, which included three centuries. Shahzad ended up as the leading wicket-taker with 36 wickets in eight matches in the same tournament.
“The squad has been assembled keeping in mind the challenging Australian conditions. We have kept the pitches in mind and added more pace bowling resources to the team to ensure that the management can be flexible with the team combinations in all three Test matches,” Riaz said.
“Saim Ayub has been added to the squad after the extraordinary domestic season he has had this year. He has impressed with the bat during the Quaid-e-Azam trophy and Pakistan Cup, pushing the case for his selection. His inclusion will strengthen our solid batting line-up.”
All-rounder Faheem Ashraf is also back in the Test fray after a gap of almost a year. He last played in the white for Pakistan in December 2022. Pacers Mir Hamza and Mohammad Wasim are the other players who mark their returns as well. 
“Pakistan made a bright start in the current World Test Championship where they are on top of the table with 24 points (100 percent point percentage) after their 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka in July. Newly-crowned ODI World Cup Champions Australia are third in the standings with a point percentage of 30 after the drawn Ashes series,” ICC said after the announcement of the new squad. 
Squad: Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jr., Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.