By Muhammad Asif Khan
KARACHI: The head coach of the Pakistan cricket team, Mickey Arthur has announced the 12-member squad for the first test against the home side, England. Under captain Misbah-ul-Haq, the squad includes Muhammad Hafeez, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed, Muhammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali and Imran Khan.
The first of the four Test matches of the series will be played at the Lord’s and the final XI for the match will be announced before the game.
The following Test matches will begin from July 22nd, August 3rd and August 11th respectively.
On the eve of the first test match both captains, Misbah-ul-Haq and Alester Cook also unveiled the trophy for four-match rubber.
The outcome of the series will also affect the ICC test rankings and both the teams have a chance to better their standings.
Pakistan can top the table if clinch the series with 3-0 or a better margin while a 2-1 or 3-1 result will push Pakistan to the second spot.
On the other hand, the home will sit at the second place with India if win the series 2-0 or 3-1, however a 3-0 or 4-0 outcome will push England to the second pedestal in the ICC test rankings.
The writer is a Pakistani sports journalist & tweets @mak_asif