Rawalpindi Test match wouldn't be affected by long march, assures Imran Khan
Cricket
Rawalpindi Test match wouldn’t be affected by long march, assures Imran Khan
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday assured British High Commissioner Christian Turner that England team’s test in Rawalpindi wouldn’t be affected by long march.
The three matches Test series will be played between Pakistan and England from December 1 in England, while rest of the two matches will be played in Karachi and Multan.
British Ambassador to Pakistan Christian Turner and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja met PTI chairman Imran Khan at Zaman Park and inquired after the health of the former PM and discussed matters pertaining to mutual interests.
During the meeting, Imran Khan was informed that the English team is arriving Pakistan on November 27 after 17 years and the first Test is scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi from December 1.
Imran Khan assured Ramiz Raja and Christian Turner that the Test series wouldn’t be affected because of PTI long march or sit-in and said that preparations should continue as the Pindi Test will not be harmed.
The British High Commissioner while strongly condemning attack on PTI chairman expressed good wishes for his early recovery. PTI senior leader Fawad Chaudhry was also present in the meeting.
On the other hand, a delegation of the British Embassy also visited the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in connection with the Test cricket series between Pakistan and England.
Pakistan announces 18-player squad
On Monday, Pakistan have announced their 18-member squad for the upcoming three-match World Test Championship series against England. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) received a green signal to host the first Test in Rawalpindi from December 1.
The England team will arrive in Pakistan on November 27 for the much-anticipated tour.
The second Test moves to Multan starting on December 9. The third and the final Test will take place at the National Stadium in Karachi, commencing on December 17.
This series will be crucial for Pakistan to keep their hopes alive for making it to the final of ICC World Test Championship 2021 – 2023. The Baba Azam-led unit is currently on fifth place in the WTC standings with a point percentage of 51.85.
Rauf’s terrific show in the shorter formats have earned him a call-up as well. The conditions are going to be different from the spin-friendly UAE, where Pakistan spent a decade and a half ‘hosting’ Test matches. Earlier this year, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah could all reverse-swing the ball while bowling at great pace – so why not pick Rauf, who has been doing that with the white ball for years now? It makes sense.
The injured Shaheen was not expected to return for the series, but there were three other omissions as well. Since the start of 2019, Yasir Shah, the man with the fifth-most Test wickets for Pakistan, has taken 41 wickets at 46.43 from 14 Test matches. His ordinary show at the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (14 wickets at 43.71) have not helped his cause either.
Also missing out is Fawad Alam, who returned to Test cricket after 11 years in 2020 to score three hundreds in nine Tests. However, his poor form this year – 0, 9, 13, 11, 24, 1 – forced the selectors to take a call. Similarly, Hasan had an excellent 2021 (41 wickets at 16.07), but five wickets in four Tests in 2022 did not help his cause.
