Fast bowler Haris Rauf has been robbed of a chance to make his Test debut in his home town after testing positive to COVID-19.
The 28-year-old white ball specialist was in the frame for the first Test against Australia after injuries to Hasan Ali and allrounder Faheem Ashraf last week.
Rauf may be best remembered by Australian audiences for his hat trick against the Sydney Thunder while playing for the Melbourne Stars in the 2020-21 Big Bash.
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The Pakistan Cricket Board said that Rauf will isolate for five days, pending a negative test. The rest of the squad tested negative.
Travelling reserve Naseem Shah has joined the squad.
Pakistan will go into the three-match home series against Australia – their first in 24 years – as underdogs, but with plenty of confidence, having only lost four of the 15 Tests they’ve played since touring Australia three summers ago.
Rauf’s home city of Rawalpindi will host the first Test, which begins on Friday, with Karachi and Lahore the other venues.
It’s also Australia’s first away Test series since the 2019 Ashes, and also interim coach Andrew McDonald’s first Test series in charge, after Justin Langer parted ways with Cricket Australia last month.
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Zahid Mahmood.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.
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