Mohammad Taha, Sameer Minhas and Mohammad Suleman: Pakistan's 3 New Test Players and Their 2026 Records

Mohammad Taha, Sameer Minhas and Mohammad Suleman are the three uncapped batters in Pakistan's Test squad for the Sri Lanka series, named on 24 October 2026, and between them they scored 1,787 first-class runs this season. Taha made 730, the most in the country's top first-class tournament.

We read the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) release and the full batting and bowling tables of the President's Trophy Grade-I 2026/27 on 24 October. Below is each player's record, how they compare, and where you can watch them before the first Test on 9 November.

All three earned their place in the President's Trophy Grade-I

Taha, Suleman and Sameer were picked on domestic form. In the seven league rounds of the President's Trophy Grade-I, Taha was first on the run chart with 730, Suleman fifth with 652, and Sameer had 405 in his first first-class season.

The strike rates are close, around 60 runs per 100 balls. That is a Test tempo, not a white-ball one. The selectors have picked three batters who bat for time, which suits two five-day matches at home.

Mohammad Taha scored 730 runs with a best of 225

Mohammad Taha, a 26-year-old left-hander from Pakistan Television, scored 730 runs in seven matches at an average of 66.36. He made three hundreds, including a best of 225, and faced 1,193 balls, the most of the three.

He hit 90 fours and only five sixes. That ratio tells you how he bats: along the ground, and for a long time. Taha also bowls left-arm spin, with four wickets this season and a best of 3 for 34, so he gives the captain a few overs if needed.

His runs came in a weak team season. Pakistan Television finished seventh of eight, only two points clear of relegation, as shown in our look at the President's Trophy final and final table. Scoring heavily in a struggling side is often a better sign than scoring in a strong one.

Mohammad Suleman made three hundreds for Kingsmen Academy

Mohammad Suleman, 28, scored 652 runs for Kingsmen Academy at 54.33, with three hundreds, two fifties and a best of 182. He is the oldest of the three and hit 14 sixes, the most of the new picks.

One of his hundreds was 125 in round 5 against SNGPL, when Kingsmen made 440 in their second innings. In the last round he added 59 against State Bank of Pakistan, the league leaders. Suleman plays in a strong batting side that also had Salman Ali Agha and Saud Shakeel, both already Test players, and still made his own mark.

Sameer Minhas, 20, is the youngest and also bowls leg-spin

Sameer Minhas is 20 and in his first first-class season. He scored 405 runs for SNGPL at 40.50, with three fifties and a best of 96. The PCB says he came through the Pakistan Under-19 side before this season.

He has not yet made a first-class hundred, which makes his selection the boldest of the three. But he hit 62 fours without a six, and his strike rate of 63.48 is the highest of the trio. He also bowls leg-spin, and took 4 for 57 against Kingsmen in round 5, with five wickets in the season.

In the final round he made 49 as SNGPL beat KRL and avoided relegation. The run list for every Pakistan player in the tournament, internationals included, is in our story on the Pakistan stars in the President's Trophy Grade-I.

You can see all three in the Patron's XI from 4 November

All three new players are in the 13-player PCB Patron's XI that plays Sri Lanka over three days at the Islamabad Club from 4 to 6 November. That match is their last chance to impress before the first Test in Rawalpindi on 9 November.

1. 4 to 6 November: Patron's XI v Sri Lanka at the Islamabad Club, with all three batting.
2. 6 November: the selectors add two pacers to the 14-player squad.
3. 9 to 13 November: first Test, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
4. 17 to 21 November: second Test, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Nobody is promised a debut. The Test squad already has experienced batters such as Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha, and the PCB has not said who will play. The full squad and the Patron's XI are in our report on the Pakistan Test squad vs Sri Lanka.

One more name is worth knowing. Mohammad Tayyab Arif of Kingsmen Academy scored 727 runs, three fewer than Taha, at a strike rate of 88.66. He is not in the Test squad, but he is in the Patron's XI, so the warm-up is his audition too.

Common questions

Who is Mohammad Taha?

A 26-year-old left-handed batter for Pakistan Television who scored 730 runs, the most, in the President's Trophy Grade-I 2026/27. He was named in Pakistan's Test squad on 24 October 2026.

How old is Sameer Minhas?

Twenty, according to the PCB statistics table. This is his first first-class season.

Which team does Mohammad Suleman play for?

Kingsmen Academy, in the President's Trophy Grade-I.

Have any of them played a Test?

No. The PCB calls all three maiden call-ups.

When can they make their debut?

The first Test against Sri Lanka starts on 9 November 2026 in Rawalpindi.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read the PCB release "Pakistan Test squad announced for upcoming two-match WTC series against Sri Lanka", dated 24 October 2026, and the PCB batting table and bowling table for the President's Trophy Grade-I 2026/27 on 24 October 2026. Suleman's 125, Sameer's 4 for 57 and the round 7 scores come from PCB match reports as recorded in our earlier round reports. We did not find career figures before this season, so the records above cover the 2026/27 league stage only.