Former skipper Shan Masood axed as Pakistan turn to youth for Sri Lanka Tests

Pakistan have dropped former Test captain Shan Masood as selectors turn to youth and domestic performers for the two-match ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka, with Babar Azam retaining the captaincy of a revamped 14-member squad announced by the country’s cricket board on Saturday. Three batters — Mohammad Taha, Mohammad Suleman and Sameer Minhas — have earned maiden Test call-ups, while Ali Usman and Salman Ali Agha have also been included in the squad for the series to be played in Rawalpindi and Lahore from Nov 9 to 21. Shan’s omission marks a significant change in Pakistan’s top order as the selectors look beyond established international players amid the team’s struggles in the current WTC cycle. The left-handed opener scored 109 against the West Indies in the opening Test in Trinidad in July before missing the second match with a finger injury.

Against England later in the year, he managed scores of 29 and five at Leeds, 26 and one at Lord’s, and 95 and five at Edgbaston, finishing the three-Test series with 161 runs in six innings. Shan has scored 2,926 runs in 50 Tests at an average of 30. 80, including seven centuries and 15 half-centuries. His exclusion, alongside those of several other established players, points to a renewed emphasis on domestic performances as Pakistan seek to strengthen their red-ball fortunes. Taha, 26, has been the leading run-scorer in the ongoing President’s Trophy Grade-I competition, accumulating 730 runs in seven matches since September. His tally includes three centuries and a highest score of 225. Suleman has also impressed in the tournament, ranking fifth on the batting charts with 652 runs in seven matches, including three centuries. Sameer, playing his maiden first-class season, has scored 405 runs in seven…