Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday announced Prime Minister’s Strong XI to face Pakistan in a four-day Test match which will be played at Manuka Oval, Canberra, from December 6–9.
The playing XI will be supported throughout the match by the ATC Premier players who will have the chance to learn and train with the best domestic players available in the country.
The first PM’s XI fixture was played in 1951, whereas this will be the second under the Prime Minister Albanese after a two-year hiatus prior to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pakistan will face the Prime Minister’s XI for the third time in their history after matches in 1990 and 2005.
Prime Minister XI
Nathan McSweeney (c), Cameron Bancroft, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Nathan McAndrew, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Beau Webster.
“The Prime Minister’s XI has a rich history within Australian Cricket, and I am delighted to confirm the squad to face Pakistan next month,” said Albanese.
“George Bailey, Tony Dodemaide and I have selected an experienced squad of players who are on the cusp of Test selection.
“I want to congratulate Nathan McSweeney on the honour of being named as captain. I know he’ll lead the side expertly and within the traditions and spirit of this great fixture.”
Pakistan squad
Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafiq, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Nauman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed.
The Pakistani training camp takes place in Rawalpindi where players of the squad and additional players such as Arshad Iqbal, Kashif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usama Mir and Usman Qadir would train with the team.
The camp will run till November 28 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium as the team will fly out on November 30 from Lahore.
Schedule of Pakistan’s Test tour of Australia
First Test: December 14-18, Perth Stadium
Second Test: December 26-30, Melbourne Cricket Ground
Third Test: January 3-7, Sydney Cricket Ground
