DHAKA (Kashmir English): There are two possible changes in the Pakistan team for the second Test against Bangladesh, according to media reports.
Babar Azam will be fit to play the match in the Sylhet Test as he will replace Imam-ul-Haq in the team, as per the reports.
Imam-ul-Haq scored 45 and 2 runs in the first Test. Apart from him, it is proposed to drop Shaheen Afridi, who will be replaced by Khurram Shahzad.
Azaan Owais and captain Shan Masood will open the innings. Abdullah Fazal will bat one down, and Babar Azam will play at number four. Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan will get another lifeline.
There is rain in Sylhet for the next week, so the final XI will be announced before the match, and the match is likely to be affected by rain.
It should be noted that the second and final Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh will start in Sylhet on Saturday.
Pakistani batters and bowlers drop in latest ICC Test rankings
The latest Test rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) have brought disappointing news for Pakistani players, with key players in both the batting and bowling categories seeing a decline in their positions.
England’s Joe Root has managed to retain his top position in the batting rankings, but Pakistan’s middle-order batsman Saud Shakeel has suffered a major setback. He has fallen six places and is now out of the top 10 at 15th place.
The situation for Pakistan in the bowlers’ list is not much better, with veteran spinner Noman Ali dropping three places to fifth.
On the other hand, the new rankings have been a welcome development for Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who has improved by one place to become the second-best Test bowler in the world.
