|| CF DESK ||

Pakistan has announced a twelve-member squad, excluding Shaheen Shah Afridi for the second Test against Bangladesh, starting on August 30.

Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie made the announcement at a press conference ahead the second Test of the two-match Test series.

Shaheen did not have a good outing against Bangladesh in the first match. The coach stated that the bowler was working on improving his bowling also as he recently became a father of a baby boy, he requested some break to spend time with his family.

"Shaheen will sit out of this game. I had a good conversation with him, and he fully understands and appreciates the reasoning behind this decision. We're looking for the best combination for this game, and this is our direction. He’s a new father, he's playing all three formats, and we're seeing an opportunity to allow him to spend time with his family as well," said Gillespie.

"He’s working on a few aspects of his bowling to ensure he's as fit as possible. We certainly want to see Shaheen at his best because we have a lot of cricket ahead in all formats, and he’s going to play a big role," he added.

Shan Masood will lead the team, marking his first home series as captain, with Saud Shakeel appointed as vice-captain While, Abrar Ahmed and Mir Hamza have been re-called into the squad.

Bangladesh are leading the series 1-0, following the historic 10-wicket win over the hosts, which was also their maiden win against the Men in Green in the long format.

Squad:

Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (C), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Salman Ali Agha, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Mir Hamza.