Surprisingly, the off-spinner Sajid Khan, who was supposed to take Abrar Ahmed’s place in the Pakistan team in Australia, is also facing a delay in leaving because of visa problems.
Shan Masood is leading the Pakistan Test cricket team in Australia.
Visa and passport problems have caused a shortage in staff for the national senior cricket team in Australia and the under-19 side in the UAE. Sohail Saleem, the appointed team doctor for the series in Australia and New Zealand, has not joined the team yet. The Pakistan Cricket Board is working on obtaining a visa for Dr. Saleem, and once it’s ready, he will join the team in Australia before the first Test in Perth, according to a trustworthy source at the PCB.
Likewise, former Test batsman Shoaib Muhammad, selected as the manager for the Pakistan junior side in the Asia Cup in the UAE, is facing difficulties in traveling with the team.
“Shoaib had some problems with his expired passport, but the board is working on it, and hopefully, he will join the team in the UAE soon to take charge,” the source mentioned.
Surprisingly, the off-spinner Sajid Khan, who was supposed to take the place of Abrar Ahmed in the Pakistan team in Australia, is also facing a delay in leaving because of visa problems.
The source acknowledged that before selecting officials for any touring squad, the board should ensure that they will leave with their teams as planned.
On Sunday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that spinner Abrar Ahmed won’t be part of the first Test against Australia in Perth. The PCB issued a statement confirming the leg-break googly spinner’s absence from the squad. This decision came after he complained of discomfort in his right leg during the third day of the four-day Test against Prime Minister’s XI. The statement from the PCB said, “Abrar Ahmed has been ruled out of the first Test match against Australia starting in Perth from 14 December. During the first-class game against the Prime Minister XI, Abrar left the field of play due to severe pain in his right leg around his knee.”
The statement also assured that Abrar will undergo a medical “intervention” on Monday in Perth and will continue his rehabilitation under the supervision of the team’s medical staff.
When he couldn’t play, they brought in Sajid Khan, a right-arm spinner. The head of the selection committee, Wahab Riaz, gave the okay for this off-spinner to join the team.
At the same time, Wahab Riaz, who leads the selection committee, agreed to let off-spinner Sajid Khan join the team. Sajid will head to Perth once his travel plans are sorted out, as mentioned in the statement.
While playing against the Prime Minister’s XI, Abrar bowled for 27 overs. He gave away 80 runs and managed to take the wicket of Marcus Harris.
The four-day Test was planned to help Pakistan get ready for their three-match Test series against Australia.
Pakistan squad for the Australia Tests
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 Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Australia squad for the Pakistan Tests
Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, and David Warner.
