KARACHI: Pakistan's Shan Masood is likely to be retained as captain for the upcoming home Test series against England. Babar Azam is also assured of keeping his white-ball captaincy when the team travels to Australia and South Africa later this year.
England are set to arrive in Pakistan on 3 October for a three-Test series, beginning in Multan on 7 October. The Pakistan Cricket Board selectors are expected to announce the Test squad after the Champions Cup final on Sunday.
Under Masood's captaincy, Pakistan has lost all five Tests played. He will hold discussions with head coach Jason Gillespie and national selectors Muhammad Yousuf and Asad Shafiq in Faisalabad this week to decide on the strategy for the England series.
The last time England visited Pakistan during the 2022/23 season, they whitewashed the Babar Azam-led side 3-0. According to a source, "not many changes are expected in the Test squad that lost the 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 minds on any new probables for the Test series against England," the source added.
The source also mentioned that the batting order is unlikely to change much, with Shan, Babar, Saud Shakeel, Abdullah Shafique, Salman Ali Agha, Muhammad Rizwan, Kamran Ghulam, and Muhammad Huraira in line for selection.
The selectors are considering the inclusion of some new spinners for the three-match series, but a decision will first have to be made regarding the types of pitches that will be prepared in Multan and Rawalpindi, the venues for the three Tests.
Since 2022, Pakistan has lost home series to Australia, England, and Bangladesh, and barely managed to draw the series against New Zealand.