The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has boosted Test skipper Shan Masood central contract position as he prepares to lead the team in a crucial three-match Test series in Australia.
Shan Masood central contract was placed in Category D but now he is elevated to B category.
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This promotion aligns with the board’s policy that if a centrally contracted player below the A or B categories becomes captain, their contract shall be upgraded to category B for their captaincy.
Shan Masood assumed the Test captaincy following Babar Azam’s resignation from all formats. He will lead the team through the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.
Having played 30 Test matches for Pakistan, Masood is set to debut his captaincy on December 14 in the first Test against Australia in Perth.
It’s worth noting that this series marks Pakistan’s first Test tour to Australia since 2019, where they suffered defeat under Azhar Ali’s captaincy, losing both games by an innings.
Historically, Pakistan has never won a Test series in Australia.
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
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
Australia tour schedule:
- Four-day match: PM’s XI vs Pakistan – December 6-9 at Manuka Oval, Canberra
- 1st Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 14-18 at Perth Stadium
- 2nd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 26-30 at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
- 3rd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – January 3-7 at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)
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