Shan Masood discusses Imam-ul-Haq's Test prospects in PAK vs. BAN.

Imam-ul-Haq is not included in the Bangladesh Test Series team.

The future of Imam-ul-Haq, Pakistan's best batsman, was discussed by Test skipper Shan Masood during his pre-series press conference on Tuesday for the Bangladesh Test series. 

Mohammad Huraira took Imam's place throughout the two-match series when he was dropped. Saim Ayub received his first cap in the most recent Test match between Pakistan and Australia, whilst Imam was absent from the field.

When asked about the substitutions made before the game, Masood said, "Imam-ul-Haq is part of the plan but not part of the squad." 

Imam-ul-Haq has been rested for the Bangladesh series, he continued. He continued his chat by answering the query of the substitution of Huraira for Saim Ayub and Mohammad Ali for Mir Hamza.

Masood, 34, clarified that we are not suggesting that one bowler is superior to the other in this sense; rather, we are stating that the particular bowler is not appropriate for the circumstances at hand. 

"For the past three or four years, Muhammad Huraira has been scoring runs in domestic cricket," he remarked. The left-handed batsman stated, "We selected Muhammad Ali because of the surprise element we witnessed in the Pakistan Super League (PSL)."

"In the Sydney Test's second innings, Saim performed admirably. He appears to be in good shape, so chances should come his way regularly. 

The 34-year-old, meanwhile, began by stressing the value of teamwork in his speech. "I believe it's crucial for the leader to set an example, but in the end, it's a team game, not an individual one, so what counts is how we play and react as a team, as well as our identity and blueprint.

"Secondly, we can analyze our results and draw conclusions. We'll hold up our hands and admit that we didn't win in Australia, but there were many things we did well there that we want to carry with us going forward. We made some mistakes that probably cost us in the Test matches in Melbourne and Sydney, but overall, I think we're moving in the right direction as a team, and that's something we'll carry with us.

There is no such thing as a weak opponent in the World Test match championship, according to Bangladesh. Every opponent has strengths of their own and uses those qualities to confront us, the opposition. Our focus is therefore clearly on our strengths—what we can do better and what we did well to build on that—as well as the advantages the Bangladesh series offers. Ideally, we can play some cricket that leads to two victories for us, he added.