Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has been appointed as head coach for the two-match Test series in Bangladesh next month, the Pakistan Sports Board (PCB) said on Saturday.

The first of the two matches – part of the ICC World Test Championship — will be played at Sher-i-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka from May 8 to 12, while Sylhet International Cricket Stadium will host the second Test, which will be played from May 16 to 20.

Sarfaraz, who led Pakistan to the Champions Trophy title in 2017, has worked with the under-19 team as well as Pakistan Shaheens after his retirement.

Since Australian Jason Gillespie quit as Pakistan’s red-ball coach in December 2024, Aaqib Javed and Azhar Mahmood temporarily guided the team led by Shan Masood, who will continue as captain in Bangladesh.

Pakistan have named four uncapped players — Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais and Muhammad Ghazi Ghori — to their 16-member squad for the Bangladesh series starting in Dhaka on May 8.

Sarfaraz’s former teammate Umar Gul will join him in the setup as the bowling coach.

Among the squad, five players — Azan Awais, Imamul Haq, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan are currently taking part in the ongoing NCA Red-Ball Camp in Lahore, the PCB noted.

The players will undergo a camp in Karachi and will assemble on April 27. The camp will conclude on May 1, with the players scheduled to fly to Bangladesh the next day, according to PCB.

Pakistan test squad: Shan Masood (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Imamul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Salman Agha, Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Afridi.

ABIDJAN: Pakistan concluded their FIFA Series campaign with a 2-0 loss to hosts Ivory Coast on Thursday, finishing third in their group after a match that required a goalline clearance, a saved penalty and more than 20 minutes with ten players.

The defeat meant Pakistan ended the tournament with one win, two losses, and a third-place finish in the four-team group.

But given the context — Ivory Coast entered the match having scored 23 goals across their first two games, while Pakistan are ranked 72 places below the hosts — the scoreline reflected a defensive effort that, while ultimately breached twice from corners, avoided the double-digit routs inflicted on others.

Pakistan held Ivory Coast at bay for the first half hour, with the defence marshalled by Kayla Siddiqi and Isra Khan, who reduced the hosts to shots from distance.

Once the Ivorians penetrated the box, goalkeeper Zeeyana Jivraj stood tall while full-backs Anmol Hira and Karissa Jivraj cut off the crosses.

The deadlock was broken in the 39th minute. After several ricochets from a corner, Ami Diallo headed in to give the hosts the lead. Buoyed by the opener, Ivory Coast pushed again, only for Isra to produce an goalline clearance to keep Pakistan within one.

The hosts continued to press after the interval, and their second arrived in the 69th minute — another corner, another header, this time from Habibou Oudraogo.

Minutes later, Pakistan were reduced to ten players when Anmol handled the ball on the goalline and was shown a straight red card. Zeeyana, however, produced a superb save to deny Bernadette Amani from the penalty spot.

The goalkeeper was not finished. In the 83rd minute, she denied another goal with an outstretched left foot, then dived to her right to stop a free kick, capping an immense individual contribution.

Head coach Adeel Rizki acknowledged the quality of the opposition while expressing satisfaction with his team’s discipline.

“We were up against a tough opponent so it was key that we kept our shape and discipline,” Adeel said.

“Overall it was a very satisfying performance from the team to hold them to just two goals. These games are a learning curve for us and the more we play against such opponents, the more we will get better.”

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2026

KARACHI: Defending champions Lahore Qalandars saw their playoff hopes darken further on Friday night as they slumped to their sixth defeat of the ongoing HBL Pakistan Super League season, losing to Quetta Gladiators by six wickets here at the National Bank Stadium.

Rilee Rossouw’s unbeaten 60 off 49 balls, featuring five fours and two sixes, anchored the chase of 135 with composure and class. He forged a crucial 104-run partnership for the third wicket with Hasan Nawaz (49 off 32), who provided the early momentum with six fours and two sixes.

Usman Tariq’s impressive three-wicket haul in the middle overs earlier had restricted Qalandars to a meagre 134 all out in 19.5 overs, a total that proved insufficient on a slow, two-paced surface.

Gladiators’ chase began shakily when Shaheen Shah Afridi struck early, dismissing opener Shamyl Hussain for a duck in the first over as the left-hander miscued a full toss to mid-on. Captain Saud Shakeel followed soon after in the third over, run out for just one after a mix-up with Rossouw.

Enter Hasan and Rossouw. The pair steadied the innings and then accelerated brilliantly. Hasan, in particular, looked in prime touch, using his wrists to whip fuller deliveries and counter-punching with authority.

In the fifth over, Hasan whipped a fuller ball off Charith Asalanka over long-on for six with terrific timing. Two overs later, against Haris Rauf, he opened the face of the bat on a length ball outside off to bisect point and deep third for a boundary that showcased his placement.

Rossouw complimented Hasan with measured aggression. He danced down the track to Sikandar Raza in the fourth over, launching a length ball angling into his pads over long-on for six. The fifty partnership came up steadily, and by the 10th over, Gladiators had reached 75 for two with the required rate under control.

The duo continued to dominate. Hasan lofted Usama Mir down the ground for four in the 10th over and followed it with an even bigger six over long-on, standing tall and smoking the ball.

Rossouw brought up his fifty in the 12th over with a confident drive through covers off Daniel Sams, then pulled another short delivery in front of square for four. The stand swelled to 104 off just 72 balls before Hasan’s innings ended tamely in the 13th over: he got an inside edge into his boot off Raza and stepped out of his crease, only for Haseebullah Khan to whip off the bails.

Dinesh Chandimal joined Rossouw but departed soon after for three. At 122 for four, Quetta still needed 13 from 30 balls, but the finish was never in doubt as Bevon Jacobs provided the closing flourish, a stunning inside-out cover drive for six off Shaheen and another effortless loft over long-off to seal victory.

Earlier, Qalandars’ innings had unravelled after a promising powerplay.

Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Naeem got them off to a flyer, racing to 21 for one in two overs before Jahandad Khan provided the first breakthrough, bowling Naeem for four with a length ball that kept low and induced an inside edge onto the stumps.

Alzarri Joseph then produced a fiery spell, dismissing Fakhar for 20 with a full, quick delivery that sneaked between bat and pad on middle stump, exploiting the batter’s lack of footwork. Joseph claimed his second when Asalanka top-edged a pull to short fine leg.

Saqib Khan struck next, trapping Mohammad Farooq lbw with a delivery that kept low. At 42 for four immediately after powerplay, Qalandars were already struggling.

A brief recovery through Abdullah Shafique ended when Usman, introduced in the 10th over, hung one outside off; Abdullah charged down and was stumped for 17.

Usman was ruthless through the middle overs. In the same over, he had Shaheen caught at slip off a top-edged sweep for a duck. Raza followed later, bowled while attempting a wild slog as Usman’s (3-18) slower pace did the trick.

Haseebullah (33 off 37) and Daniel Sams tried to rebuild, but the damage was done. Jahandad returned to claim late wickets, including a flurry that accounted for Usama Mir (22 off 7, including three sixes) and Haris in successive deliveries. Usama’s explosive 22 off seven balls — featuring powerful hits down the ground and over midwicket — provided some respectability, but it was not enough.

Qalandars were bowled out for 134, their third such collapse in as many recent outings in Karachi, where they had previously managed just 100 and 97.

The defeat heaps more misery on Qalandars’ campaign. Sitting seventh on the points table in the eight-team league, their batting continues to look fragile, overly reliant on individual cameos rather than a balanced effort. Shaheen toiled with the new ball but found little support as the innings progressed.

SCOREBOARD

LAHORE QALANDARS:

Fakhar Zaman b Joseph 20

Mohammad Naeem b Jahandad 4

Abdullah Shafique st Chandimal b Usman 17

Charith Asalanka c Usman b Joseph 6

Mohammad Farooq lbw b Saqib 2

Haseebullah Khan run out 33

Shaheen Shah Afridi c Saud b Usman 0

Sikandar Raza b Usman 15

Daniel Sams not out 12

Usama Mir c Rossouw b Jahandad 22

Haris Rauf c Rossouw b Jahandad 0

EXTRAS (NB-3) 3

TOTAL (all out, 19.5 overs) 134

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-20 (Naeem), 2-26 (Fakhar), 3-36 (Asalanka), 4-42 (Farooq), 5-60 (Abdullah), 6-60 (Shaheen), 7-84 (Raza), 8-109 (Haseebullah), 9-134 (Usama)

BOWLING: Saqib 3-0-22-1 (1nb), Jahandad 3.5-0-35-3, Joseph 4-0-41-2 (2nb), Abrar 4-0-14-0, Saud 1-0-4-0, Usman 4-0-18-3

QUETTA GLADIATORS:

Shamyl Hussain c Raza b Shaheen 0

Saud Shakeel run out 1

Rilee Rossouw not out 60

Hasan Nawaz st Haseebullah b Sikandar 49

Dinesh Chandimal b Haris 3

Bevon Jacobs not out 14

EXTRAS (LB-4, W-7) 11

TOTAL (for four wickets, 16.2 overs) 138

DID NOT BAT: Jahandad Khan, Saqib Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-5 (Shamyl), 2-11 (Saud), 3-115 (Hasan), 4-122 (Chandimal)

BOWLING: Shaheen 4-0-28-1 (1w), Asalanka 2-0-17-0, Sams 2-0-24-0, Raza 2-0-17-1 (2w), Usama 3-0-15-0, Haris

RESULT: Quetta Gladiators won by six wickets.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Usman Tariq

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2026