NEW DELHI: Shan Masood is expected to continue as captain for Pakistan in the upcoming home Test series against England. Babar Azam will also retain his leadership role for the white-ball formats during the tours of Australia and South Africa later this year.
England's squad is set to arrive in Pakistan on October 3 for a three-Test series beginning in Multan on October 7. The Pakistan Cricket Board selectors will announce the Test squad after the Champions Cup final on Sunday.
Masood, who has overseen five consecutive Test losses, will meet with head coach Jason Gillespie and national selectors Muhammad Yousuf and Asad Shafiq in Faisalabad this week to finalize the strategy for the England series.
The last time England visited Pakistan, during the 2022/23 season, they swept the series 3-0 under the captaincy of Babar Azam.
A source mentioned that few changes are expected in the Test squad that recently lost a series against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi 0-2.
"While white-ball head coach, Gary Kirsten has identified some new young players from the Champions Cup for T20 and ODI sides, Gillespie and high-performance coach, Tim Nielsen, have still not made up their mind on any new probables for the Test series against England," PTI quoted the source as saying.
The source also indicated that the batting line-up is likely to remain stable, with Shan, Babar, Saud Shakeel, Abdullah Shafique, Salman Ali Agha, Muhammad Rizwan, Kamran Ghulam, and Muhammad Huraira being considered for selection.
"The selectors are considering the inclusion of some new spinners for the three-match series but first it has to be decided what sort of pitches would be prepared in Multan and Rawalpindi (the venues for the three Tests)," the source added.
Since 2022, Pakistan has lost home series to Australia, England, and Bangladesh, managing only to draw the series against New Zealand.
