Not only is Sarfaraz Ahmed absent in the Pakistan Test and T20I squads bound for Australia, in a major shake-up, head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has named a host of new faces in both the touring groups.

Muhammad Musa Khan, the 19-year-old seamer, was included in both the squads. Khushdil Shah, the 24-year-old middle-order batsman, and Abdul Qadir's son Usman Qadir, the 26-year-old legspinner, were the new faces in the T20I squad, to be captained by Babar Azam, while Azhar Ali's Test side included Kashif Bhatti, the domestic veteran who bowls left-arm spin and Nasim Shah, the young fast bowler.

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In Pakistan's post-World Cup shake-up, Sarfaraz had been sacked as captain of the Test and T20I sides and a decision on the ODI captaincy was put on hold, as Pakistan's next 50-over assignment isn't until July next year. Also out of the Test side were Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, who is nursing an injury, Shadab Khan, and Mohammad Amir, who had announced his retirement from the longest format earlier this year.

In T20Is, there was no place for Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal, who were selected in controversial circumstances for the series at home against Sri Lanka recently, while Ashraf and Mohammad Nawaz were also left out.

"A series to Australia has always been a challenge for Pakistan, and is very important, too," Misbah said. "Being a player, it was always our wish to go to Australia and perform well, and win games and series there. because Australia, England and South Africa are places where it is incredibly difficult to win, and when you do, the world sits up and takes notice. We want to play competitive, aggressive, fearless cricket there, because this is the only way to beat them at home.

"The team we have selected has been chosen with that in mind, and we have a number of surprise packages in our team that we feel confident will be able to challenge Australia. Be that T20Is or Test cricket, you will see young, exciting players. My message is clear, we want youngsters to get a chance. We believe in them and they are our future. If you go to Australia and want to compete, you have to have firepower in the fast bowling department. We aren't just going to compete, we are going to win, and we are confident these boys will perform."

There are a number of surprises in the squad, but the call-up of Usman Qadir perhaps tops them all. Just last year, Qadir had declared he "didn't want to play for Pakistan", and wanted to represent Australia instead when he became a citizen, disillusioned by the lack of opportunity in Pakistan. Less than a fortnight ago, Misbah rhetorically asked a packed press conference which legspinners he was ignoring in Pakistan cricket, indicating there was no one coming through to select besides Yasir Shah and Shadab Khan. When a journalist murmured Usman Qadir's name, there was a ripple of laughter, with even Misbah joining in, and saying he hadn't been playing domestic cricket in Pakistan. To see him named in a squad just ten days later represents a remarkable change of heart from the PCB, and indeed Qadir himself.

In other notable recalls, Mohammad Irfan was named in a Pakistan squad for the first time since September 2016, with the previous coach Mickey Arthur deeming him incompatible with the high-performance culture he believed was necessary to make Pakistan a modern-day competitive limited-overs force. The 37-year old will be the oldest player in a side that's otherwise notable for its youth, with Musa Khan named in both squads, while 16-year old Nasim Shah was a surprise pick, even by this squad's standards, for the Test series. He rose to prominence with a six-wicket haul on his Quaid-e-Azam trophy debut as a 15-year old last year, and has fast become something of a regular for Central Punjab.

One of the less surprising - but still notable for its significance - changes was the introduction of Mohammad Rizwan to Pakistan's T20I and Test squads, set gto become a regular after a long wait on the sidelines. He didn't play a single international game for over two years while Sarfaraz Ahmed was captain of all three formats, but with him dropped, the way for Rizwan to come back in has been cleared. He has, however, only ever played a single Test match, which came nearly three years ago in New Zealand.

Imran Khan, meanwhile, is also back in the side for the first time since Pakistan's last tour of Australia in January 2017. He may only have played 9 Tests for Pakistan, but 3 have come in two separate series against Australia, the opposition he now has an opportunity to take on again next month. Also in the squad is Kashif Bhatti, the fifth-highest wickettaker in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy this season with 10 at an average of 27.4, on wickets that have been overwhelmingly partial to batsmen.

The series has the feel of a fresh start for Pakistan cricket, with the final remaining survivor of the previous regime Sarfaraz absent, and the raft of new changes that give both squads a new-look feel. Azhar Ali and Babar Azam will captain the Test and T20I squads respectively, with the T20I series a chance for Pakistan to bounce back from the 3-0 home defeat to Sri Lanka and press their claim as favourites for next year's World T20I, to be held in Australia, further. The Test series will be the first assignment for Pakistan in the Test championship, and t could not have been a more challenging start; Pakistan have lost each of their last four series in Australia 3-0, representing 12 consecutive Test losses.

The action in Australia begins with the first T20I on November 3 in Sydney, followed by games in Canberra (November 5) and Perth (November 8 ), before the Test matches take place in Brisbane (November 21-25) and Adelaide (November 29 to December 3).

More to follow…