Pakistan yesterday named uncapped leg-spinner Yasir Shah to replace the suspended Saeed Ajmal in their preliminary 19-man squad for the two Tests against Australia starting next week in the United Arab Emirates.
Shah, 28, was one of the leading wicket-takers in the domestic season last year, with 48 scalps, but had little success in one-dayers or the two Twenty20s he played on the tour of Zimbabwe three years ago.
He has yet to play a Test but chief selector Moin Khan said he expects Shah to deliver.
“Shah is one of the fast-rising spinners at the domestic level and we have hopes that he will come good against Australia,” Khan told AFP by telephone from Dubai.
The first Test begins in Dubai on October 22 and the second in Abu Dhabi on October 30.
Pakistan face a tough challenge to replace Ajmal, who had been a major factor in the team’s wins across all three formats over the last five years.
