Lahore -  Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Monday retained the same 16-member squad, which was currently playing in New Zealand for next month’s three-match Test series against Australia.

Pakistan are currently touring New Zealand for a two-match series. They lost the first Test and in the second Test in a rain-shortened match, the Black Caps are in a good position to clinch the series. Before the series, the PCB has included two batsmen – Sharjeel Khan and M Rizwan. Sharjeel has not played any match in the ongoing Test series but Rizwan is playing in the second Test where he has been bowled out for a first-ball duck.

Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, who returned home ahead of the ongoing second Test against the Kiwis, to be with his ailing father-in-law, will re-join the squad for the series Down Under. The Inzamam ul Haq-led selection committee also retained Sharjeel Khan and M Rizwan, who were Pakistan’s only inclusions for the series against New Zealand.

Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq said continuity was necessary. “We have kept the same 16-member squad for the tour of Australia because we believe in continuity and think that the same team has done well in England so it will do well in Australia as well,” the chief selector said.

Inzamam said a lot of names were considered but after consultation with captain Misbah-ul-Haq and coach Mickey Arthur the same squad was retained. Former Test wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, Usman Salahuddin and Asif Zakir were unlucky to not be in the squad after scoring big in an ongoing domestic tournament.

Akmal, who played the last of his 53 Tests at Lord’s in London in 2010, has piled up 826 runs, while Zakir has 811 and Salahuddin 813. The remaining two Tests will be played in Melbourne (December 26-30) and Sydney (January 3-7). Pakistan will also play five one-day internationals in Australia, a squad for which will be announced later.

SQUAD: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Sharjeel Khan, Sarfraz Ahmed, M Rizwan, Yasir Shah, M Nawaz, M Amir, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Imran Khan, Sohail Khan.