Pakistan have reshaped their Test squad two days before the Sri Lanka series begins, adding pace-bowling all-rounder Aamer Jamal and handing maiden international call-ups to three uncapped players. The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed the changes on Saturday, 7 November, taking the squad to 16 players for the two-match series that starts at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday, 9 November.
It is a late but deliberate shake-up. The initial 14-member squad was named on 24 October, and the selectors used this week’s warm-up match to make their final calls before the first Test. The result is a squad that leans younger, with three brand-new faces and a recalled all-rounder who adds experience to the pace attack.
Four in, two out as PCB finalises the 16
Batter Muhammad Tayyab Arif, teenage fast bowler Ali Shabbir and seamer Saqib Khan join Jamal in the updated squad. All three newcomers featured in the Patron’s XI warm-up match against the tourists at Islamabad Club from 4 to 6 November, giving the team management a close look at them before the series.
To make room for the quartet, Ali Usman and Abdullah Fazal — both named in the initial squad — have been released. The updated 16-man squad is: Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Ali Shabbir, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori, Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Taha, Muhammad Tayyab Arif, Razaullah, Saad Baig, Salman Ali Agha, Sameer Minhas, Saqib Khan and Saud Shakeel.
Three new faces earn their first call-ups
Tayyab Arif’s selection rewards a strong first-class season. The batter has scored 727 runs in seven matches at an average of 66.09, including three centuries — the kind of weight of runs that is hard for selectors to ignore, whatever the format.
Ali Shabbir, still a teenager, is the most eye-catching of the three debutants. Fast bowlers who earn a Test call-up this young are rare, and his inclusion signals that the selectors see him as a long-term prospect rather than a short-term fix. Saqib Khan, a seamer, completes the trio of first-timers. None of the three has played international cricket before, so all three will be hoping the Rawalpindi Test brings a debut cap.
The timing is no accident. All three played in the Patron’s XI match against Sri Lanka this week, and performing in front of the selectors against the very opposition they are about to face is the clearest audition a young player can get.
Jamal’s recall adds experience to the pace attack
Aamer Jamal’s return is the other half of the story. The pace-bowling all-rounder has Test experience and offers something the squad needs: a bowler who can hold up an end and a lower-order batter who can add useful runs. His recall balances a squad that is otherwise getting younger by the day.
Jamal’s presence also gives captain Babar Azam another option with the ball on what could be a demanding Rawalpindi surface. With two Tests in the series and a long home season ahead, depth in the pace department matters — and Jamal brings both the skill and the temperament for the longer format.
The series ahead
The first Test runs from 9 to 13 November at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, with the second Test from 17 to 21 November at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Both matches count toward the ICC World Test Championship 2025–27, so there are points on the line as well as pride.
The squad announcement underlines how much Pakistan’s Test side is changing. The initial squad named on 24 October already left out former captain Shan Masood, spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, and Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq. Now three more uncapped players have been added, and the average age of the group has dropped further.
Sri Lanka, led by Kusal Mendis, arrive with a settled side and will fancy their chances of testing a young Pakistan attack. The Express Tribune has reported that head coach Mike Hesson has asked for pace-friendly pitches for both Tests, although that has not been confirmed by the PCB. If the surfaces do offer pace and bounce, the recalls and debuts in this updated squad will be tested from the very first session in Rawalpindi.
For Tayyab, Ali and Saqib, the next few days will decide whether their first call-up becomes a first cap. For Pakistan, the series is the first step in a Test rebuild — and it starts on Monday.
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