Wahab Riaz: “Mohammad Abbas is a good bowler and has done well in county cricket but we have kept in mind Australian conditions. There is more bounce and reverse there and hence, Hasan would do better there”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan chief selector Wahab Riaz believes he made the right choice in picking pace bowler Hasan Ali over Mohammad Abbas for the ongoing three-match Test series against Australia.
Wahab acknowledged that Abbas has done well for Hampshire for multiple county seasons, but pointed out that due to the bounce and reverse swing in Australia, Hasan was a better option.
Abbas, who last played for Pakistan in August 2021, was recently in action in the National T20 Cup and took six wickets in six matches for Sialkot Region at an average of 27.66 and an economy rate of 8.30.
“Mohammad Abbas is a good bowler and has done well in county cricket but we have kept in mind Australian conditions. There is more bounce and reverse there and hence, Hasan would do better there,” Wahab was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Hasan did not play in the first Test against Australia, which Pakistan lost by 360 runs.
The second Test will get underway on December 26 in Melbourne.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi