Mohammad Hafeez has not played Test cricket since August 2016

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has been added to the Test team for the upcoming series against Australia, which begins on October 7 in Dubai.

Hafeez, who will travel to Dubai on the first available flight, was left out of the original squad, but has impressed the national selectors with his form on the domestic circuit, where he has been excelling with both the bat and ball.

Early last month, Hafeez took a six-wicket haul to lead the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited to an innings and 52-run win over the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Hafeez, who is captaining Sui Northern Gas, also starred in their innings and 307-run win over Islamabad as he scored 63 and claimed two wickets.

He then struck a magnificent 213 and took a total of four wickets against Peshawar last week. Sui Northern Gas ended up triumphing by an innings and 105 runs.

Hafeez’s recall comes at a time where there were uncertainties about whether he would represent Pakistan again as he had been overlooked for the recently-concluded Asia Cup.

He also did not play a single game in the five-match ODI series against Zimbabwe earlier this year, even though he was included in Pakistan’s squad.

In addition to this, he was demoted to category B contract.

However, Hafeez’s performances for Sui Northern Gas could not be missed, and he successfully convinced the national selectors in handing him a lifeline to revive his international career.

It remains to be seen whether Hafeez will be picked for either of the two Tests against Australia, but if he does, he will be playing Test cricket for the first time since August 2016.

Pakistan’s Test Squad: Azhar Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Usman Salahuddin, Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), Mohammad Rizwan, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Bilal Asif, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Hafeez