Karachi: Pakistan yesterday called up 17-year-old left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar as cover for injured Yasir Shah in the upcoming Test series in Australia.
Maestro leg-spinner Shah hurt his back during practice and will be assessed before the first of three Tests starting in Brisbane from December 15.
Asghar has been on selector's radar for the past year after taking 68 wickets in 17 first-class matches.
He became an instant hit on social media in February for his humorous post-match comments during the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Asked how he held onto a difficult catch, Asghar replied: "I am Pashtun and we have big hands. There was no way I was going to drop those catches."
Asghar was staying in a Karachi hotel that caught fire on Monday, killing 12 people and injuring 75.
"Asghar is very lucky as he survived the fire by a mere five minutes," his manager and coach Nadeem Khan, a former Pakistan spinner said.
