Pakistan Test squad vs Sri Lanka: Babar Azam leads 14, three uncapped players called up

Pakistan have named a 14-player squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, with Babar Azam continuing as captain and three uncapped players called up, ARY News reported on Saturday. The series counts for the ICC World Test Championship and runs from 9 to 21 November in Rawalpindi and Lahore.

The newcomers are Mohammad Taha, Sameer Minhas and Mohammad Suleman, none of whom has played a Test. Salman Ali Agha returns to the side.

Pakistan Test squad for the Sri Lanka series

1. Babar Azam (captain)
2. Abdullah Fazal
3. Ali Usman
4. Arafat Minhas
5. Azan Awais
6. Mohammad Abbas
7. Mohammad Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper)
8. Mohammad Suleman
9. Mohammad Taha
10. Razaullah
11. Saad Baig (wicketkeeper)
12. Salman Ali Agha
13. Sameer Minhas
14. Saud Shakeel

Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Ghazi Ghori, Saad Baig, Razaullah and Saud Shakeel keep their places from the last Test squad.

Two fast bowlers still to come

The squad is short on pace for now on purpose. Sri Lanka play a three-day warm-up against a 13-player PCB Patron's XI from 4 to 6 November at the Islamabad Club, and the selectors will add two fast bowlers from that Patron's side to the Test squad once the game ends, ARY reported.

Saad Baig captains the Patron's XI: Saad Baig (captain, wicketkeeper), Abdullah Fazal, Ali Shabbir, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Mohammad Salman, Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Tayyab Arif, Mohammad Taha, Saqib Khan, Sameer Minhas, Shoaib Akhtar Jnr and Ubaid Shah. Several of the Test newcomers play in it, so the warm-up doubles as their last audition.

Busy weeks for Arafat Minhas

Arafat Minhas, named for the Tests, is in form: he took 6 for 40 and made a maiden ODI fifty in Pakistan's 87-run win over England in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. Pakistan play England again in the ODI tri-series at Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday 25 October at 1:30pm PKT; the latest results and the table are on our tri-series page. Mike Hesson is expected to stay on as Test coach for this series.

How to watch

Pakistan's home internationals this season are shown on PTV Sports and streamed on the Tamasha and Tapmad apps; our Tamasha guide explains how to watch on a phone and what it costs in data. Exact start times for each Test will go on our cricket match centre when the PCB confirms them.