Sarfraz makes a comeback as team for England tour announced

Former captain Sarfraz Ahmad stages a comeback as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced a 29-member squad for the Test and T20I tour of England, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The members of the squad are: Azhar Ali (Test captain), Babar Azam (Test Vice Captain and T20 Captain), Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imamul Haq, Shan Masood, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Muhammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Muhammad Rizwan, Sarfraz Ahmad, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Muhammad Abbas, Muhammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti and Shadab Khan.

Former captain Sarfraz Ahmed had been demoted to Category B from Category A earlier last month by the PCB.

Also on Thursday, fast bowler Mohammad Amir and middle-order batsman Haris Sohail had withdrawn themselves from the England tour, which will be played in bio-secure conditions. While Amir is expecting the birth of his second child in August, Sohail withdrew due to personal reasons.

After West Indies' tour of England, which will also mark the resumption of Test cricket after a four-month-long break due to the coronavirus crisis, Pakistan are slated to tour the UK for three Tests and three T20Is, which will be played within bio-secure conditions and will not interact with anyone outside of the group, with regular tests for COVID-19 being conducted by the medical group.

Mohammad Amir and Haris Sohail have withdrawn themselves from the squad for two different reasons. While Amir was only eligible for selection in the three-match T20I series, he pulled out of the tour to be with his wife for the birth of his second child in August. Sohail, meanwhile, cited personal reasons for his withdrawal. As a matter of fact, players' families will not be allowed to accompany them.

Meanwhile, the PCB has also announced that they would send a 42-person touring team, with 29 players and 14 support staff to accompany them. Amir and Sohair are not the only persons to have pulled out of an England tour, with three West Indies players - Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Darren Bravo - earlier pulling out, citing concerns around the virus.

The members of the team officials announced by the PCB on Friday are: Misbahul Haq head coach, Shahid Aslam assistant to head coach, Waqar Younis bowling coach, Younis Khan batting coach, Mushtaq Ahmed spin bowling coach, Abdul Majid fielding coach, Yasir Malik strength and conditioning coach, Talha Butt analyst, Cliff Dacon physiotherapist, Malang Ali massager, Mansoor Rana team manager, Col (retd) Usman Riffat Anwari team security manager, Raza Rashid team media manager and Dr Sohail Saleem team doctor.