Pakistan cricket team's national selection committee, led by chief selector Moin Khan, is planning to include medium pacer Imran Khan into the 15-squad for the home Test series against Australia, starting on October 22.
Imran represents ZTBL and Peshawar in domestic cricket and has taken 257 wickets in 65 first-class matches with an action that is not too dissimilar from that of Umar Gul.
The Pakistan team has recently been hit by injuries as pacemen Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan have both been ruled out of the series, while selectors do not want to include Mohammad Irfan or Umar Gul in the Test side due to doubts over their fitness with the 2015 World Cup approaching, The Express Tribune reported.
Their exclusion from the squad has opened up opportunities for several new faces and Imran and Ehsan Adil are likely to be drafted into the squad along with Rahat Ali and Mohammad Talha to make up a relatively inexperienced pace attack.
Similarly, leg-spinner Yasir Shah will be selected and is expected to make his Test debut in this series, while left-armer Zulfiqar Babar would reportedly be the other main spinner in the side.
All-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, who was recently declared fit for the Tests but might have to wear a support, would be brought in and the team management is banking on him to get some wickets with his off-spin to make up for the void left behind by the suspended ace off-spinner Saeed Ajmal.
The final debate among the selectors centres on Ahmed Shehzad's opening partner at the top of the innings, with both Shan Masood and Taufeeq Umar hopeful of the final spot.
Also Read
One of the selectors said that captain Misbah-ul Haq and some of them feel that Taufeeq should be given a run because of his experience, while others are backing youngster Shan.
Pakistan's expected Test squad is: Misbahul Haq (captain), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Ahmed Shahzad, Shan Masood/Taufeeq Umar, Muhammad Hafeez, Younus Khan, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Talha, Imran Khan and Ehsan Adil.