Pakistan names 16-man Test squad for Bangladesh tour, Sarfaraz Ahmed appointed head coach

Lahore, 18 Apr 2026 – Pakistan will take four uncapped players to Bangladesh for next month’s two-Test series, with former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed named head coach of the red-ball side.

The Men’s National Selection Committee announced a 16-member squad Thursday for the tour, part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27. Shan Masood will continue as Test captain.

Squad: Shan Masood (c), Abdullah Fazal_, Amad Butt_, Azan Awais_, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Muhammad Ghazi Ghori_ (wk), Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
*Uncapped

The first Test will be played at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium from May 8-12, with the second Test in Sylhet from May 16-20.

Five squad members — Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan — are currently attending the NCA Red-Ball Camp in Lahore.

The team will assemble in Karachi on April 27 for a five-day camp before departing for Bangladesh on May 2. Players involved in HBL PSL XI will join the camp after their teams exit the tournament. Those playing the PSL final will fly out after the tournament ends.

New red-ball coaching setup
The PCB also confirmed Sarfaraz Ahmed as head coach for the Bangladesh series. Sarfaraz led Pakistan to the 2006 U19 World Cup and 2017 Champions Trophy titles as captain. He recently mentored Pakistan U19 to the ACC U19 Asia Cup title and Pakistan Shaheens against England Lions earlier this year.

Former Test batter Asad Shafiq joins as batting coach and ex-pacer Umar Gul as bowling coach. Asad played 77 Tests for Pakistan, scoring 4,660 runs with 12 centuries. Gul took 163 wickets in 47 Tests.

Team management: Naveed Akram Cheema (manager), Sarfaraz Ahmed (head coach), Asad Shafiq (batting coach), Umar Gul (bowling coach), Abdul Saad (fielding coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Grant Luden (strength & conditioning), Usman Hashmi (analyst), Syed Naeem Ahmad (media manager), Lt. Col. (r) Usman Anwari (security manager), Dr Wajid Ali Rafai (team doctor).