Morne Morkel, the former South African fast bowler, will be the bowling coach for the Pakistan cricket team during the Test series against Australia. Morkel, who is 38 years old, had prior commitments as a coach in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which prevented him from coming to Pakistan earlier. However, he will join the national team for the Test series in Sri Lanka next month. Morkel has an impressive track record, having served the South African cricket team in 318 international matches and taking a total of 544 wickets. Among these, he claimed 309 wickets in 160 innings in Test matches, 188 wickets in 114 ODIs, and 47 wickets in 44 T20Is.
Bowling coach Morne Morkel
Sources suggest that young batsmen Omair Bin Yousuf and Mohammad Hurraira are highly likely to receive their first-ever invitation to play in the Test format during the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. Hurraira was the highest run-scorer in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy last year, accumulating an impressive total of 1,024 runs in 11 matches with an average of 73.14 while playing for Northern. On the other hand, Omair, representing Sindh, scored 644 runs in 10 matches with an average of 46.
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Furthermore, there is a strong possibility that Aamir Jamal, an all-rounder who played for Peshawar Zalmi in the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL), will have the opportunity to be selected for the Test team for the first time. Sarfaraz Ahmed, the experienced wicketkeeper, and Hassan Ali, the fast bowler, will reportedly continue to be part of the squad. However, players like Mir Hamza, Zahid Mahmood, and Mohammad Wasim Jr. are expected to be excluded from the team.
Currently, Mickey Arthur is overseeing the selection committee and team management, closely monitoring the players participating in specialized training camps at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore through online supervision. The expected schedule for the Sri Lanka Test tour is as follows: the first Test will take place from July 16 to 20, followed by the second Test from July 24 to 28.