Pakistan give maiden test call-ups to Tayyab, Shabbir and Saqib for Sri Lanka series

Nov 7 - Pakistan have given maiden test call-ups to batter Muhammad Tayyab Arif and pace bowlers Ali Shabbir and Saqib Khan for next week's home series against Sri Lanka, the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Saturday.

• The trio recently featured in a three-day practice match for the Patron's XI against Sri Lanka in Islamabad

• Fast-bowling all-rounder Aamir Jamal was also added to the squad after making his test return in the West Indies in July following an absence of more than a year

• Pakistan had last month named a 14-member squad that included the recalled Salman Agha, who was among seven players sent home midway through the tour of England in August

• Spin bowler Ali Usman, another of those seven players and initially selected for the Sri Lanka series, has been released from the squad along with batter Abdullah Fazal

• The first test of the two-match series begins in Rawalpindi on November 9 REUTERS